King Kong: Lucy's Tale
by Penmaster51
Summary: Lucy has always had a urge for adventure and soon she finds herself sailing on the Venture with everyone else, as a stowaway. She'll meet friends, find love and fight foes... but who truly wins in the end? T for minor langauge & violence! Jimmy/OC!
1. Late Night

_Check out my profile to get the latest news on this story and my others-in-progress!_

=coughcough= Yes, I could not resist the Jamie Bell awesomness in King Kong and thought of an OC for him about five minutes after you first meet him in the moiveXD

EDIT: I'm just editing Tony's age! He's nine (9) now, not twelve (12)!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.  
But I do own any OC's in here!**

* * *

The night was dark and hazy. A perfect night to sneak around; going by people completely unnoticed. I glanced up at the sky, just barely seeing the moonshine in the sky. I barely could make out the stars in the smog of the boats and buildings. I narrowed my eyes, covering my mouth to stifle a cough. I could see crewman packing a very odd boat, dark and mysterious. Dangerous even! The back of my neck hair rose straight up. I gripped the crate in front of me tightly, making my knuckles appear white from the strain.

I glanced, seeing a well-dressed woman and a plump man walking down. She stopped, glazing up at the beautiful white ship beside the one in front of me. Their mouths moved but I could not hear a word they were saying. I watched them as they paused at a tall man, whom seemed dressed to be the captain. I peered closer, trying to hear what their mouths were saying. Another man stood a little ways behind them, shifting nervously on his feet.

I gave a silent yelp as I yanked myself back into my hiding spot, seeing a large man pick up a crate too close to me. I tugged my hat closer to my hair, peering over the crates and watching with observant. Oh, it would be terrible if someone found me now! I fiddled with my brother's shirt, glancing over at my shoulder. I tugged at the sleeves, chewing my bottom lip nervously. I was dressed as a boy, the only way I was able to get onto ships like this one. From experience, they never took in females from families like mine.

My family was doing fine, while others starved and went without shelter. Father was a rich man and cared always about his business, which included ships driving away with his projects. He cared about his children, Louie and myself, but business always came first. He was a tall man, with sandy blonde hair and deep brown eyes.

Mother was caring. She had pretty, wavy light brown hair and lighter, hazel eyes than Father. She worked right along with Father but at home. She loved everything to be clean; she was quite stern when it came to many of our places to play. But she had a gentle spirit and never raised her voice at anyone. Only if she was about to cry or if she truly was mad, which I have only seen once.

Then there was Louie, my older brother. He looked like a lanky, thinner version of Father but he beamed every time someone commented on his similar looks. He loves Father; he wishes to own the business when Father is ready to pass it down. He often is pestered by girls of all ages, silently begging for him to take one of them to the dances. But, he was trustworthy no matter about his ego. He always covered my back when I snuck out.

Then there was me, Lucy. I always kept my brown hair short though Mother loved playing with it when I let it grow out in winter. It was a lot harder to sneak out at night in winter. The cold nights always seem to leave your footsteps behind. I had hazel eyes and quiet voice like Mother, but unlike her, I raised mine many times if I got angry. Which is why I've taught myself to keep my opinion to myself. I was only similar to my father in my personality. I was intelligent and stubborn, two things in which Father are known for.

Many times during the summer and in the fall, before school stars, I met with the other children of my neighborhood. They are not rich or even middle class kids. They are homeless and many times runaways or orphans. But they are very trustworthy people and always known to know the little secrets of New York City, where I live. They are my friends and many times, I've gotten into arguments with Father about them. Which is why I started to sneak out at night.

Louie didn't like it at first, but using my skinniness and size to sneak around, unseen and unnoticed; he relaxed and started to come up with cover stories. Multiple times, he has saved me and I've taken over his chores. Our deal; each time I'm unable to remember the story he told me the previous night, he'll save me and I'll have to do his chores. Luckily, as the older child, he doesn't have many.

Another man grunted as he picked up a crate and stalked off, grumbling under his breath. I peered around my crate, watching him disappear. I took a steady breath. This is the night I've been planning and dreaming of. For years! I remembered the night I decided that I would, one day that I would run away. I believe I was nine at the time and Louie, fourteen.

For once, Louie was completely against me running away. He didn't want to deal with the 'fireworks afterward' as he put it. He knew Mother would be completely heartbroken and Father would dive deeper into his business, if possible. He didn't want to deal with that, so I offered him to come with me.

"A ship, Lou! A gorgeous ship full of the most famous crew and captain possible!" I whispered hastily. Louie snorted, shaking his head at me as he worked on his arithmetic. The numbers were useless to me but I peered at them anyway, trying to make connections I was similar with.

"Lucy, I wouldn't want to be on a ship within a hundred miles! Having no solid ground underneath my feet… narrow aisles and hallways… I could never cope!" He exclaimed, giving another shake of his head. I rolled my eyes, flopping down on his bed next to him.

"You're just scared of the water," I muttered. Louie sighed unhappily, turning from his work and to me. I glazed up at him and saw that his eyes were sad.

"Little Lucy," I made a face at the mention of my very old nickname.

"I don't understand you sometimes. The great unknown," he shook his head again, "is very dangerous. But still, I guess I can't blame you. The water calls to you, like a bird to the sky." I don't understand where he always came up with those things; maybe that's why he's got all these little love notes from girls stuck in a secret drawer of his desk. Even at such a young age, he attracted many women. Mother was always pleased when Louie introduced his female friends; many times, they were very polite to me but gave all their attention to my older brother.

Also, I had to control myself from getting jealous of the pretty girls cooing over him. I wished I would never become like them, stroking my date like a pet cat.

"Mother always said she saw the same strange urge for freedom gleam in your eyes, like the one Father had when he met her." He said, not glancing up from his work. His steady handwriting reminded me how much mature he was of me; I still took little, scrawls of notes and I seemed, besides Louie, to be the only one able to read it!

I blinked curiously at him, giving him my full attention.

"Really? Mother said that?" He nodded, hunching over his homework again.

"So… I could be part of a ship someday, like him?"

"Maybe. That's if the men are willing to work for a female captain, if that's what you're after," Louie smirked and I gave him a hearty slap across his shoulder.

"I would be a darn good, captain too!" I defended myself, frowning angrily. At him

"Yes, that you would." He snickered, a sly smile on his face.

"Why doesn't Father go out to sea anymore?" The smile disappeared gradually as Louie steadily worked through his homework and tried to answer my question at the same time.

"I don't know." He finally said, leaning up. I nodded, chewing on my bottom lip. Thoughts whirled in my head but one in particular caught my interest.

"Would Father ever want me to be a captain?" I whispered, glazing up at Louie. His hand paused, his dark eyes glancing at me. Then they returned to his paper.

"I… Lucy, please don't get mad, but I don't think he would. Or Mother, for that matter. They would want to find a husband, have a family and raise children."

I made a face, pulling my legs to my chest tightly and placing my chin on my knees. That's exactly what Mom did. But I'm not like her. I could never sit still long enough to raise a large family or at least not now.

"Well… they couldn't stop me…" I paused, glancing at Louie. He was staring at me hard, like he knew what I was going to say. But he asked anyway.

"What?" Louie said calmly and I knew something was bothering him. Every time Louie spoke so calm; too calm for the situation, he was nervous.

"If I run away," I murmured, glancing down at the ground. Suddenly, Louie's laugh echoed in my ears.

"Hey! I was being serious!" I snapped, glaring at him with furious eyes.

"Yes, I," he snickered, trying to control himself, "know! But think, Lucy! How would you ever survive? Every time you have been to the docks, you were with Father or Mother, and myself!" He chuckled again, but gave me a nervous glance.

"I wouldn't run away now!" I defended myself quickly, absolutely fuming at him.

"Oh, really?" He was getting quite amused by my rant.

"I would run away when I planned every thing out! And you could help me!" Anything happy and funny on Louie's face disappeared. Suddenly, he whispered.

"I wouldn't- I couldn't leave, Lucy. I do not feel the urge to explore other worlds; I am perfectly content right here, at home. Where you should be! No, I… maybe, would help you plan. If you're serious of course, but you would have to promise me this…" He paused, taking a deep breath.

I couldn't imagine how hard this was for Louie. He was such a loyal son to our family; he didn't question authority unless needed be or act out. He was almost the perfect son except that he was always a bit nosy and sometimes an arrogant fool. But I knew his true loyalty laid with me, his sister.

"Promise you what?" I whispered, just as quietly, back to him. I knew my face looked too eager to hear another little secret.

"You'd have to promise me to come back." He whispered, giving me a weak and sad smile. I returned a much brighter one to him and wrapped my thin arms around him, giving him a hearty squeeze.

"Thank you, Louie!" I raced off to bed, snickering. I was only nine, of course. The open world appealed to most nine year olds at the time.

I always forgot that he was now preparing for College. It only seemed yesterday, that I was nine and he, fourteen, racing around and playing with each other. He was such a playful friend. Always up and moving, dragging me along. But he matured, Mother said, becoming a young man. I remembered the sorrowful night before, the last night I swore that I would run away.

"Are you sure?" Louie whispered, eying me wearily. I nodded, shifting my small bag of clothing and a little food.

"I'll be fine, Lou!" I mused to the darkness, barely able to make him out in the utter black. A little moonlight shone through my windrow drapes and I thought I saw a flash of a toothy grin. Louie's toothy grin.

"Come back if things… get out of hand," he whispered, gingerly putting his hand on my shoulder. I shook it off, staring up at him and narrowing my eyes.

"That's if I want too!" I snarled angrily, remembering the evening a few nights ago, where once again, Father argued with me. Like last time, it was about my friends.

"Lucy, you promised!" Louie whipped back at me, a slight pained tone to his voice.

I bit my bottom lip, peering into the street below us again. Louie never forgot our little agreement so many nights ago. I frowned but it leaved my face when Louie pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Be safe, okay?" I nodded, swallowing my voice. I couldn't trust it right now; I thought I could feel hot tears coming to my eyes.

Louie gestured to my door, holding his hand in midair for a second before ushering me out. He was able to sneak me out of the house and into the dark night. That's when the first tears came but I held back most of it.

They were gone by the time I had reached my destination. A few friends grinned at me, racing towards me.

"Oh, look, she came!" spoke the oldest boy, about sixteen or seventeen. He was quite lanky and had pale skin that stood against the night brightly. He had shaggy, regular brown hair with a mass of freckles covering his face.

"Told ya so!" A young nine-year-old boy piped up, glaring at the older boy. He had a tan that came from spending so much time in the sunlight. He gave me a shy grin before looking back at the older teenager.

"Naw. I knew she'd come along, Tony!"

"Whatever, Jerry." Tony mumbled angrily, crossing his arms stubbornly across his chest.

"Hey, Jerry, Tony and Phillip!" I mused, beaming at them.

Phillip pushed up his always broken glasses, peering at me suspiciously. Then a smile pulled on his lips and a grin exploded on his face.

"You got away without anyone…"

"Yup! I told you that I would, didn't I?" I said, walking towards them.

We began our way down the street, avoiding main sidewalks and taking alleyways. Jerry knew the cities short cuts, as he referred to them, like they were his brothers. Many cases in which, he loved them like one.

"That was weeks ago, Lucy," Phillip reminded me gently.

He was nearer my age, seventeen. His cropped black hair seemed to be growing out more, since he always merely hacked it off when it became too much of a nuisance to worry about.

"Yes… well, here I am!"

"Where ya going?" Tony piped, looking at me eager and wide eyes. He was always in love with adventure stories and since he had yet to read my level, I told him simpler versions of stories I had read. Many times, Jerry listened too for the fun of it. He never read much and cared little for it, he told me.

"The docks," I said and Tony gave a small gasp. Jerry smirked, glancing in my general direction. Phillip's green eyes were shined over by the reflection of the moonlight.

"Then you'll need help getting there, won't ya, sweetie?" Jerry said, pausing about a yard in front of us.

I narrowed my eyes evilly at Jerry, whom merely snickered to himself. He loved calling me that, for he knew it always bothered me. He had an interest me from the start I met him and Louie always told me to watch what situations I put myself with him in. Jerry was very sly and quick-witted, used to saving his own skin, as Louie said.

I pulled my brows together in confusion. I knew my way. Jerry chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

"You won't know ya way through the alleys at this time of night!" He laughed again but abruptly stopped, glancing up at an open window.

He slipped into another alley, hissing words I couldn't hear and understand, though we assumed we must follow him. We tore around the corner and Tony bumped into a rooted Jerry. The young man pressed his fingers to his lips and Tony stared at him, paling from fright and widening his eyes.

I smacked Jerry's head with my head. The young man winced away from me, cursing under his breath and rubbing his head.

"Stop trying to scare him! Let's just get to the docks!" Jerry shrugged but then took off at a steady pace.

As we slowly traveled, a few children joined us here and there. Phillip waved goodbye about four blocks away from my home, saying that he had to head back to his house. Children between eleven and seventeen soon followed us around, like a walking bus or taxi. Then dropped off from the band, hiding home or merely reaching their destination.

Jerry was like a guide to many of the children. He had an air of confidence, maybe even arrogance and he wasn't afraid to show off some of his 'very secret' short cuts if you nurse his ego enough. Young children, especially young boys, are always eager when Jerry is showing off new short cuts he found.

He glanced at me over his shoulder, smiling a lop-sided smile.

"Almost there sweetie!"

I rolled my eyes, making sure my short legs kept right behind his long strides. Little Tony was lagging behind us, giggling and whispering his own friends. Soon, it was just the three of us again and we arrived at the docks.

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**Review please! They are like cookies to me and I love cookies:)**


	2. The SS Venture

**Special thanks to-**

**Mindy Morganna:** thanks for the review & story alert; I'm happy to see that you're enjoying it:3 And that there are more Jamie Bell fans out there;)  
**Bellatrix Kale:** thanks for the story alert! I'm excited to see that you're reading it; since you're the reason I wanted to see the movie cause you told me Jamie Bell is in itXD  
**And last but certainly not least!**  
**JainaZekk621:** thanks for the review & story alert! I'm glad you think it's awesome:)

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.  
But I do own any OC's in here!**

* * *

"Here we are, sweetie!" Jerry mused, practically beaming with accomplishment.

"Thanks," I said, still taking in the wonderful sight of finally seeing the one place I loved, at night. Little lights stood in the sky, too bright and close to be stars so I assumed they were lights of the city.

"Men!" squeaked Tony, pointing to a large crew of men walking towards us.

"The crates!" Jerry hissed, dragging Tony down with him and I dashed behind them. I could smell Jerry's slightly dusty, musky smell. I wrinkled my nose at it and realized, it wasn't just him and it sure wasn't Tony, whose mother always made sure that he was clean. I glanced nervously at the crates beside and above us; I could only wonder what was inside them.

"What's wrong?" I murmured, barely audible to my own ears.

"Crew men," Jerry said, glancing around again.

"Won't like seein' a bunch of kids wandern' around here at night." He finished, peering over the crates before settling down next to me.

"Why here, Lucy? What's on your mind?" He asked with only slight interest. But there was a curious spark in his eye so I decided to tell him.

"I plan on hopping onto one of those boats," I said, glancing at the ships before me. Jerry raised an eyebrow, eyeing like I was lying of some sort. Tony gawked at me in awe. It only took a little thing to amaze him.

"R-really? Is that you dressed up all like a boy?" He asked and I gave a curt nod.

"It's a real shame. Could've stayed with me and my family," Jerry teased and I glared at him. He shrugged, pulling on a loose piece of string he had on his sleeve.

"I don't want to get any of you in trouble." I answered just before we ducked down, avoiding capture once more. Jerry looked around again, some redness in his cheeks from the sudden movement. He let an out a sigh before returning to our conversation.

"Aw, don't have to worry about us! We've been taking care of ourselves long time," he said and shrugged again.

"Yes, well, Father wouldn't-"

"You really need to stop brining him up! Ain't he the reason you're running away?" Jerry snapped, glaring at me. I shrugged, knowing to keep that information away from Jerry. He scowled bitterly but said nothing more. Tony glazed around wearily and then yawned, stretching.

"We best get going if you're sneaking off like this," Jerry said bitterly, eyeing me angrily again.

"But I'm not tired…" Tony mumbled, rubbing his eyes in hope of not looking so sleepy. I ruffled his hair and gave him a happy grin before Jerry grabbed his wrist, yanking him up.

"Come on, lazy bum! Your mother will give me another lecture," Jerry gave a shudder, "about keeping you out late and whatnot!" Tony chuckled at the memory and Jerry made a sudden movement. This sent Tony racing for the alley in which we came from. Jerry turned back to me, still in a half-standing, half-crouching position.

"You sure?"

"I've been planning this-"

"I don't wanna hear a story!" Jerry mumbled before glancing in Tony's direction then back at me.

"Just a making sure. Your brother know?"

"Yes. How do you think I got out of the house?" Jerry shrugged, giving another curious glance in the direction of the crewmen at work.

"Bye, Jerry." I said bluntly, peering back to watch the men again. He grumbled something I didn't hear and I heard him slowly inching away.

"Uh… yeah. Bye, sweetie." He dashed away, the night eating him up. I sighed, settling into a more comfortable position and waiting for the right the moment to sneak upon the ship in front of me.

That seemed hours ago though probably only thirty minutes passed. I sighed, dragging myself from my recent memories. I could see these last crates weren't going to be protecting and hiding me much longer. I grimaced as another man came very close to picking the one crate that would uncover my hiding spot.

I took a long, shaky breath before I was about to sneak onto the boat when I spotted an open crate. It was foolish, to put myself in one. In books, it always seemed to work! But ether way, I snuck into and pulled the lid down. Just as I settled in, my body froze as I was picked up.

A man grunted, mumbling about heavy it was but seemed unconcerned about it. I was loaded onto the ship. Just then, through a very small peephole, I saw the name of the wonderful ship. The SS _Venture_. I grinned happily to myself as I placed down.

That night, I was somehow able to sneak into one of the many animal cages that the _Venture_ had on her. I'm still completely baffled how I did it, but it happened and now I was sitting cramped up in a cold cage. I wasn't sure if it was night or day, if we had reached the open sea yet and if a new day, or two, have come and gone. It was quite confusing and boring. I reminded how smart I was to pack snacks, which I chewed slowly and ate little.

I was also rethinking my hiding spot. Greatly.

Two men, not even a meter away, were stuffed together in the largest cage I had yet to see. Luckily, baskets and other things hid me from their plain sight. But that cage was adorned with almost a small apartment look. Two beds were on ether ends and I could hear their voices all the time.

Jack seemed not to be the exact the crewman, since he gagged at the smell of lamb when Jimmy brought it down today, so I assumed he was a guest of some sort. I would have traded anything for that, since I was already sick of the now stale bread I packed. But I knew a few things about; he had to be some type of author. I could hear the clicking of his typewriter late at night and I fell asleep to it the first night.

My mouth watered at the scent. Though it smelled like nothing Mother could do with it, it smelled better than what I had left. I snickered silently as Jimmy explained more on what it is.

One was named Jack and the other Jimmy. One time, not long ago after we set off, I could tell by the swaying of the ship, another man came down. He had a deeper voice and I caught a flash of deep ebony skin. He explained to Jack about Jimmy and I partly listened. He, the dark-skinned man, came down and woke me up with his speaking.

I heard quite some interesting things about this Jimmy. That this man, whomever he was, had found him four years ago back in this cages where I was hiding.

"His arm was broken in two places and wilder than half the animals in the cages," he spoke with a deep voice. He paused then continued, "He still won't tell me where he came from, but it wasn't any place good." I stopped listening, closing my eyes and resting my head on a bar. I heard the heavy footstesps go back up what sounded as stairs. A lighter, more faster pair of feet came flying down, moments later.

I grinned when I suddenly felt the ship give a sudden jerk. It must have been some type of wave or something to cause my cage to fly to the ground. If they took nothing of that, the two men definitely took notice my shrill yelp.

Each time the boat swayed unevenly, I gripped other, heavier cages to keep this from happening. Unfortunately, I was too caught up in laughing to save myself. I peered at the two men, giving a sly smile.

"Hello," was all I could say before I was whisked away. I wasn't sure exactly where I was going; I paid no attention to my surroundings except for walking without tripping and falling. My legs could barely move, let alone walk and take the hurried shoves from the one I assumed was Jimmy.

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**EDIT: I un-underlined any statements said directly from the movie. Merely because a helpful reviewer (thanks again HeeHeeHee01!) helped me realized it was kind of useless... and distractingXD Anyway, no more underlining! Thanks ya'll!**

**Also, there will be different parts and somtimes, if I can't catch the line (cause sometimes the actors mumbleXD) or look it up, I just normally skip that and add what Lucy is thinking:P Please PM or review this story if I get any of the lines wrong! **

**Also, there are some parts that aren't in the movie- I remind you this is an OC insert into the plotline and I had to include the little parts. Like, why did Jimmy scribble on Baxter's posters? Well, I didn't care because you got to see Jimmy again (XDlol) and I loathed Baxter but... there's gotta be a reasonXD So, yeah, hope that clears everything up!**

**Oh... review please:)**


	3. The Crew

Yeah, yeah i know: "Penn, why didn't you give us time to review?" Well, my only excuse if that I'll be gone friday-sunday (won't be back till late sunday evening/night) and I wanted to give you guys another chapter. Plus, I love good surprises in my email inbox (especially *hint,hint* reviews:3) and I'm hoping a few more story alerts... but I'm not expecting much but even a short, sweet and simple review will make me happy:) Anyways, here's the 3rd chapter...

*EDIT*: I un-underlined any speech directly from the movie- it was distracting and a bit useless, hehe lolXD I also rewrote the part with Lucy & Englehorn talking- a bit OOC for the captain to me,lol. That's fixed up a bit. Thanks for reading!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.  
But I do own any OC's in here!**

* * *

We arrived in the captain's cargo to see two big men staring at me. One seemed vaguely similar to the tall man I saw in the dock, talking to the plump one. He was the one whom stood by the wheel and I took it he was the captain.

The dark-skinned man was there too and his hard eyes were staring at me. I lowered my glaze and the one called Jimmy spoke up.

"Found him in the cages, Captain Englehorn." he said. I felt my cheeks blush a little bit and I peered cautiously at the two grown men. Jack stood behind me, leaning almost bored, against the doorframe.

"Oh, did you?" The captain spoke with a thick German accent. I glazed up again, holding my tongue from any speaking. I couldn't possibly say anything; I was still too stunned by the sudden destruction of my plan. I swore there was almost amusement playing on his face. But his eyes were hard and blank as they stared down at me.

"And what's your name?" I couldn't understand Englehorn's tone; I couldn't read if his voice to understand if he was upset or angered or whatever else could possibly go through his head.

"Umm…" Was all I could muster, feeling very uncomfortable under their watchful eyes.

"Well, then-" He started but I quickly answered him, the words flooding out of my mouth in almost complete nonsense.

"I'm Lucy! My name is Lucy!" I spoke quickly, trying to avoid the sudden dark thoughts that whirled in my head. Who knows what Captain Englehorn would do to me and I don't plan on getting on anyone's bad side, especially the captain. There was a moment of shock as the men peered closer at me. They thought I was a boy, just as I planned.

"Is it?" There amusement had to be in Englehorn's voice. It gleamed in his eyes and played in his voice. Obviously, he was quite amused by a _girl_ being able to sneak up on his ship.

"Uh huh." I became tongue tied again and the captain laughed softly, turning back to his window and glazing out of it for a moment. Then he turned back to the dark-skinned man. There was a short glance between the two before Captain Englehorn came back to me.

"And Lucy, what can you do? Hopefully something useful, if I may say. We have no time for stowaways." I glazed around, feeling my heart quicken to an unhealthy, fast beat. I felt it was so loud, everyone could hear it.

"Um… I can...I can- I don't know, sir." I bowed my head slightly, avoiding any eyes. There was a moment of silence before Englehorn spoke again.

"Very well. You can help Jimmy," he said bluntly. I think he was annoyed with my truthful answer but obviously he wasn't about to do anything terrible to me, like throw me overboard or worse. He glanced at the dark-skinned man, talking to him now.

"Unless you have any other suggestions, Mr. Hayes?" Mr. Hayes stared at me long and hard; I felt unusually small under his glaze. But it wasn't angry or irritated, but it wasn't amused ether. Blank. Very similar to Englehorn; excuse me, _Captain_ Englehorn's eyes.

"That's fine…" Okay, they aren't going to through me off the boat. That's good, I think.

Mustering up my courage, I spoke. My voice was shaky and quiet, but I gained confidence as I spoke.

"One request, though, sir," I started nervously. Englehorn's eyes immediately glazed back to me, waiting for me to continue. "It's just… that I would prefer if the… um, others didn't know I was… a girl." I straightened my back a little bit, making myself look him in the eyes.

"That is obviously what you planned before." He said, obviously talking about my outfit.

"Yeah… err, yes, sir." I mumbled, bowing my head slightly.

"Very well. And should we call you, if we can't call you Lucy?" I never thought of the name! I immediately spoke the first name that came to my mind.

"Um… Louie?" I asked, giving him a weak smile. Englehorn gave a curt nod and suddenly, we were dismissed. I was practically dragged by Jimmy all the way back to his room. Jack followed us quietly, not utterly surprised by at all.

"How did you do it?" Jimmy asked immediately, as soon as we were safe in the room with the cages. Jack grimly crawled back into the biggest one, watching us with utterly lifeless eyes.

"Do what?" I squeaked, backing up away from him.

"Get on here!" He said it, lowering his voice and glazing curiously at me.

"Umm…" I said, taking another step back.

"I came in, uh, a crate… I was able to sneak into here somehow," I darted around him with my usual nimbleness and gestured to my cage, propping it back up again. I pointed to the baskets that covered me.

"Those helped, err, and hid me."

"Oh." Was all he answered with, glazing at the cages with watchful eyes like another girl was going to come out suddenly.

"So… where are we heading?" I ask, trying to sound causal and normal. Jimmy glanced at me before saying, "Singapore." That's farther away than I expected and I wondered if I should have taken the fancy, white boat next to this one. But curiousity burned on my tongue and I had to ask why.

"Why?"

"Carl wants to film a motion-picture there," Jack answered and both of us whipped around to face him. As the boat swayed, he spoke.

"You probably don't know who Carl is, do you?"

I frowned but couldn't bring up any remembrance of the name occurring to me.

"No…" Then, somehow, Jack explained what was happening. How Carl wanted to shoot a film in Singapore, Ann (the woman whom I had seen the night before I snuck onto the ship) playing the main character and a Bruce Baxter, playing the male character. Jimmy stayed silent, not looking at ether of us.

"Oh," I said and Jack shrugged, pulling himself to lean against the bars of his cage.

"Come, we've got stuff to do," Jimmy said, getting up and walking up the stairs. I glanced at Jack, whom had closed his eyes and looked like he wanted to sleep. I sighed and followed Jimmy.

I was complete surprised by how most of the crew welcomed me warmly into their close-knit group. There weren't as many as I expected but I remembered their names as Jimmy ticked them off. There was Lumpy, who gladly explained to me what he does. He's the cook for everyone and also takes the roles as a surgeon and as the barber. I thought happily to myself, lucky I had my hair cut short again just before I left. There was also Choy, whom was the janitor and was from some Asian descent. They stood out the most from the names.

Just we about to leave, the slightly plump man strode in with at least three men following him.

"Now, Preston- who's this?" He stopped, staring at me. He had an odd face that made me immediately frown. I didn't speak; I merely stared at the three other men. One, whom was much older than the plump man, had a fake right leg. I wondered how sore that could have been. There was the tall man behind the plump one, pushing up his glasses and I saw his black hair. He reminded me greatly of Phillip and I felt the first pang of homesickness. There was another tall man with large round glasses and had headphones wrapped around his neck.

"Why, this is Louie," Lumpy said, chopping and cutting up some food on his cutting board. I threw him a thank-you glance before looking back at the plump man. He frowned at me but then continued on his way, the three men hustling after him.

"Who was that?" I said, roughening up my voice and keeping it quiet.

"That was Carl Denham- the director." Jimmy answered before continuing on. I gave one last glance at the crew before going after him.

"You don't like him," I stated quietly, glancing quickly over my shoulder so I could speak normally.

"Most of 'em don't," he said, stopping so abruptly that I bumped into him. He glanced at me, mumbling an apology before glazing back up. I followed his eyes, glazing up at the small tower that stood in the sky. Jimmy had a small grin widen across his face and I couldn't help but feel a small smile come over my lips.

"Come on," he said, climbing onto the ropes. The smile immediately disappeared and I stared at him.

"We're going up there?" I asked, astonished and I glanced back at the small tower. Now it seemed so high and so far away.

"Not scared are you?" Jimmy asked, turning to me. I glazed at him, puckering my lips grimly. I took noticed of his odd cap and plain blue, loose clothing. And his brown hair that sat below his hat, smashed against his head. His innocent eyes.

"No," I said, swallowing my fears with a shaky breath before climbing after him. I was never scared of heights or tall buildings. But those had walls to protect you from falling out of it. This, unfortunately, did not. I didn't dare look down, not knowing if my stubborn courage would hold up to that.

"Not to bad, huh?" Jimmy asked as I quickly climbed into the watchtower, gripping the top metal bar with all my might. I glazed around but straight forward, hoping not to see anyone below us to remind me how high up we were.

"Quite peaceful," I murmured, glazing out to the ocean. The blue sea was astounding as always. So deep looking, just as I remembered it. It was lazy, lapping up against the boat weakly and seemed almost perfectly smooth from up here.

"See anything?" Jimmy asked quietly, standing closer to me than I remembered.

"Huh? No," I immediately straightened up, letting go of the watchtower's metal hold. I glazed out again before Jimmy started to search around. I turned around, seeing him pause momentarily, then pull a book from behind his back. He clutched it and glazing down at it lovingly.

"That's where I left it," he murmured to himself. Then Jimmy blushed when he realized that I was still there. I glanced down at the book, turning my head to the side to read the title.

"_Heart of Darkness_," I murmured, turning my glaze back to him. He didn't say anything and lowered his glaze back to the book.

"Have… you ever read it before?" I spoke, pulling back my peering head but glanced down again at the book. He gave a small shake of his head, glancing away from my glaze.

"No."

"I haven't ether- though… my family had a copy." I said, remembering seeing a vaguely similar book sitting on my mother's reading chair in her and Father's bedroom. That was years ago.

"Have you just started it?" I frowned as he shook his head and I remembered when Mr. Hayes said. Four years ago, he found Jimmy and he was a stowaway. He probably taught himself how to read. Assuming I figured it out by the look that crossed my face for a moment, he opened the cover and shoved it hastily into my hands.

"Long loan," he said nervously.

I laughed lightly, stroking the page gingerly before closing it and peering around at the cover and back. A grin stayed on my face more when I spoke.

"My library would always kick me out. I didn't like taking books out of the library because Mother always had so many and she never liked 'borrowing' books. So I would wander the aisles, hiding in all kinds of places so I could finish the book I wanted." I smiled at all the little memories of my six, seven and eight year old self, roaming the library and hiding a book or two under my jacket so I could sneak away to my secret spots to read them.

"Really?" He asked, glancing back at the book. I nodded and noticed a small smile had crept onto his face.

"Did… you teach yourself how to read?" I asked. Though I assumed my estimate was right, I had to make sure I was correct in my guess. He nodded, giving a slight shrug and avoided my eye contact.

I grinned again, remembering my first time trying to read.

"Trust me, you aren't the only one. I tried to read a book twice this thick and quite younger than I am now. Six, or was it seven? But I tried reading it and couldn't get past a page. That's when…" I cut myself off, glazing out at the sea again. My sudden happiness gone. But Jimmy caught my pause and said, "And what?"

"My… my brother taught me how to read." I said quietly, placing the book gently back in his hands. He glazed up at me, a slight frown upon his face as he tried to figure me out.

"Your brother?"

"Uh huh." I said, avoiding directly answering his question. He frowned but easily shook it off.

"Is it good so far?" I asked, giving him a small smile.

"I… I don't know," he said, another frown coming over his face. He flipped through the book, staring at the pages. I glazed at the book, wondering if it was indeed as dark as the title gave.

"HEY!" There was a shout and in seconds, both Jimmy and I were peering down. I had momentarily forgotten my slight fear with talking with Jimmy. Lumpy stood, hands on his hips, glazing sternly at us.

"I need help in kitchen! Get down here!" He frowned at us before striding away.

"Yes sir!" We called out in unison and I couldn't help but smile brightly at the sound of it. Jimmy shoved the book protectively under his jacket and we climbed down, racing after Lumpy with quick legs.


	4. Scribbles On The Wall

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!:D :D Trust me, the first couple of hours away from Herman (mh computer) & Howard (meh mouse) were gruelling... but, I survived and after done unpacking, I hopped on here. About as fast as a 'pull-start' computer can, hehe, lolXD

Any true KingKong fans can guess what's coming up in this chapter;) I love that part:D Jamie Bell makes the funniest faces I have seen in a long time and plus, him looking so good... well, that helps a lot:)

**Thanks to Mindy Morganna (it's great that you're enjoying the story) & JainaZekk621 (your reviews are awesome! XD) for reviewing! Love everyone whom is reading, alerting, reveiwing and everything in between! Love you all! **

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.  
But I do own any OC's in here!**

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"You work better with these fish than half of the men on this ship, Louie," Lumpy commented brightly to me. I stifled a smile and Jimmy threw me a small, shy one. Though it was quite disgusting, having to see and feel the insides of a fish, I knew I could and probably would see worse things.

I wrinkled my nose as another wave of the fishy stench reached my nostrils. But I caught his words; I thought I felt my blood go cold and I glanced nervously at Jimmy. He didn't dare look up at me, under Lumpy's watchful glaze but I knew he heard. Jimmy shifted, causing his white apron to ruffle against the counter.

"Do you really think I'm completely blind?" Lumpy mused happily, continuing on with the fish without a care in the world. I glanced nervously where his other eye would have been. I didn't shudder at the sight of his empty eye socket but I didn't ignore it ether.

"I-I…" I couldn't say anything, so I clamped my mouth shut. I held down my tongue, which was withering with questions.

"No doubt that captain knows about this little secret going too. Don't worry, miss, you're secret safe with ole Lumpy!" He laughed, cutting up a fish I just cleaned. I swallowed, mumbling thanks.

"No worries, though. The other men haven't seemed to notice." I frowned at him, pausing. He gave me a pleasant grin and I couldn't help but feel my own smile come onto my face. He gave a shake of his head, his smile still very apparent on his face, before he ushered us away like a bunch of nosy children.

I stared grimly at my hands as Jimmy and I walked open deck of the ship. He glanced at me, but I could see a smile twitching at the end of his lips.

"What's wrong?" He seemed to be gaining much more trust and in return, I was becoming very comfortable with him. Like back at home, with Phillip and the others. Another pang of homesickness hit my heart but it disappeared quickly with Jimmy next to me.

"My hands… they stink terribly. And the stench won't go away." I shook my head, dropping my hands to my sides. Jimmy shrugged and turned to look away from me. I knew he was smiling; I could see his cheeks changing as his lips formed it on his face.

"You shouldn't be smiling, Jimmy! Yours stink worse!" I muttered defensively and he shook his head.

"No, they don't." I sighed, giving up on the argument and shaking my head. Then suddenly, I saw the actor from before. Bruce Baxter, walking tall and proud and towards us. Jimmy glanced down, ignoring Baxter and continued onward, shuffling now. I gave Baxter a glance as I paused, watching him walk by. Then I just noticed Jimmy tripping and catching himself on the railing. He stared daggers into Baxter's back as the grown man continued on his way, whistling. Jimmy's cheeks were flushed with a sudden anger.

I saw Jimmy's mischievous gleam in his eyes before he dragged me along again. As I struggled to keep up, and not fall down, I tried to figure out where we were going. He led me down these stairs, into what seemed to be some type of hallway.

"Jimmy! What was that about- where are we?" I sputtered, squeezing into a very slim hallway and right behind Jimmy. The walls were a deep, rich brown wood and the doors were white. I immediately assumed some type of living quarters. Nice ones, better than living in the cages below.

"These are the cabins," his voice held no interest in the comfortable sounding areas. I tried to get a peek into one of them, but he tugged me along before I actually could. I glared at him for a second, by feeling my feet threatening to stagger, I allowed myself to be dragged by him without a struggle.

"What are we doing down here?" I hissed then bumped into a frozen Jimmy. He frowned, glancing over his shoulder and then glancing at me. A small, rosy blush came to his cheeks and I felt his warm hand drop mine. I blushed too, staring at the ground. He started up again, glancing at the doors and heading forward at a brisk walk. I did my best to follow him, trying not to jog.

"Jimmy, what-" I started to whisper urgently but he pressed his finger to his lips, turning to me.

"Shh," he said and opened a door, peaking in. I frowned at me, glancing nervously over my shoulder. My stomach was beginning a knot of bundled nerves and Jimmy's suspicious behavior wasn't making them go away. Jimmy pulled out a pen untwisting it and making the tip pop out. My eyes started to widen as he tugged me into the room.

The walls were a pale yellow color, like a daisy drained of its brightness. Everything else was a washed-out white. There were three posters hanging on the walls. I peered at the closely, my eyes widening at the realization. We were in someone's bedroom and it wasn't just anyone. It was _Bruce Baxter's_ cabin. I watched as Jimmy started to scribble on the drawn faces of him, smiling to himself.

"Keep watch!" He whispered, gesturing to the door. I gawked at him before unable to hold back a giggle at the first scrawls upon Baxter's face. I covered my mouth, peeking out and keeping an eye out for anyone whom may just come in. After a moment, I turned around again to see Jimmy starting on the third one.

"No, no!" I chuckled again, walking over to Jimmy. He stopped, pen in mid air. I plucked it from him, sprawling a mustache onto Baxter's face. Jimmy grinned, sniffling a laugh when I heard it. The footsteps.

"Get out, get out!" He whispered, grabbing my arm again and stuffing the pencil back into his pocket. He ushered me out and we appeared back in the squashed hallway, much to my displeasure. I could understand Louie now, how he could never deal with these forsaken cramped spaces.

Jimmy had his head down when Baxter came towards, who was already staring at us accusingly. I saw a flash of Jimmy's face. It was very straightforward and blank. Baxter looked like he suspected nothing and I stopped a grin from spreading over my face. Jimmy grimaced as Baxter walked by him; the grown man paused and I thought he was looking at me. I tried not to meet his eyes but I gave him a one second glance before I realized I had stopped walking. Jimmy silently tugged own my arm and started to drag me along again.

We fled as soon as our feet hit the stairs. We didn't stop until we reached the cages, gasping for air. Jimmy was clutching his sides, his face turning this bright red as he laughed. I couldn't get enough oxygen to regain my breath and then laugh; it probably sounded like I was choking. That just seemed to make the two of us roll over into another laughing fit.

Finally, after what seemed forever, we calmed down and it became quiet for a moment.

"That was a very stupid move, Jimmy," I stated. I dare not accuse him because the image of the scribbled on faces made me grin even more and I knew it would send us into another laughing mess.

"It was worth it though," he snickered and we grinned silly at each other. We whipped around to see Jack, looking at us funny. I could hear Jimmy trying not to burst out laughing and my own throat threatened to explode from holding my own laughter back.

"Did I miss something important?" He raised an eyebrow and at the same moment, Jimmy and I burst out laughing. I started to tear up as we tried to regain control with little success.

It was later in the afternoon, the sun only a little above the sea. It seemed that Jimmy, and I, were doing the oddest of jobs. Whatever really seemed to be done, I suppose. But it was entertaining as Jimmy interacted with the crewmen and how they responded to my presence. I didn't talk much, but responding with simple nods or shakes. Even a smile or two crept on my face when they told a joke that I could understand and get.

It wasn't eventful but I loved it all the same. Jimmy and I were heading back to the cages down below. Everything was silent and peaceful; it reminded me of home really. Our house was always so quiet because there was little rough housing allowed at home. Mother never liked us breaking anything and preferred everything in its place.

That's when I took midnight raids to her little library. Multiple times she caught me, sending me back to bed without one book. But many times, she knew I was awake and let me sneak into the library. I loved reading at night; I believe it allowed the mind to truly imagine what it would be liked to live in the jungle or to imagine the perfect love.

Quite fun it was for me. Mother always said that one day, since Louie had no care for reading beside what was assigned from school, all those books would be mine. But I always told her that I could end up reading all of them and she would always laugh happily. Then she would send me off and follow me, but not without a last glance at her books.

"Lucy," Jimmy whispered, using my real name since no one was around. I looked up and saw his eyebrows pulled into a frown. I responded with my own frown and a tilt of my head. Then I heard the voices. It was Jack's voice, definitely. Jimmy told me that many of the other crewmen avoided below.

"Who's the other one?" I whispered, my lips barely moving as I spoke. He half-heartedly glances over his shoulder before he started to go down the stairs, slowly going down.

I heard the voice again and a shiver ran down my spine. It was Carl Denham's voice- the movie director. The man who gave off a very bad air around him. Arrogance, recklessness and danger. A great danger came off him and that is why I avoided him at all costs. Jimmy did that too but sometimes, these incidents cannot be avoided.

As now.

"What are you doing?" I hissed but Jimmy didn't respond. He gently slid down the stairs, quite silent I wouldn't have noticed him if I had been down there. Maybe that was his plan! I quickly climbed down and with a glance over my shoulder, I saw him frowning at me. He'll have to argue with me later. Then we heard the voices.

"And that's when she sees it." Carl's voice took an ominous tone as Jimmy slipped down, landing silently on the wooden boards. He gave the slightest of an inch so I could be able to stand in front of him. We didn't move, didn't speak. We didn't even dare and breathe through our noses; afraid it'll be too loud.

"Sees what?" Jack asked, obviously annoyed. Both had yet to notice us.

"What?" Jack asked again, typing another letter or two onto the sheet of paper. Jimmy's eyes rested on Carl and I stared at him too. An involuntary tremble went through me and I couldn't help but notice Jimmy inch closer to me. I made no noise or acknowledgement of it. I was too much engrossed by Carl and Jack.

Carl turned slowly around, his eyes these dark pits and spoke slowly, "The Island." Jack placed his hand on his thigh, leaning forward at Carl in annoyance.

"We're filming on an island now? When did this happen?" I let out the smallest of breaths, happy to know that Jack had nothing to do with this snake of a man.

"Shh-shh, Jack… keep your voice down."Carl approached the cage where Jack sat. Jimmy lowered his glaze, glancing at me before turning his attention back to the two men.

"I don't want the crew getting spooked." Carl said urgently but trying to be comforting also. Too late, I thought with bitterness.

"Why would they get spooked? What's it called?" Jack pressed the questions, but in a lower voice. Part of me wanted to run up to Carl, to make him tell us where he's taking us. Then I remembered that I couldn't do that; for some reason, my legs wouldn't move.

"Alright. It has a local name, but I'm warning you Jack, it doesn't sound good." Carl pulled out his pipe, holding it inches away from his mouth.

"What do they call it?" Jack leaned in and so did Carl. They met halfway and Carl whispered the name to Jack. I couldn't hear it but another tremble went through my body and I tightened my hands into fists. I swear Jimmy was practically a hair away from me now. I suspected he was trying to comfort me without giving away our presence.

"What's wrong with this place?" Jack whispered deeply, obviously catching onto something I could not understand.

"There's nothing officially wrong with it cause… technically, it hasn't been discovered yet." Carl gave a small incline of his head, still staring at Jack. Jack blinked a couple of times at Carl, then frowned and then appeared to have lost an inner battle. This is where, if I were alone, I would have run. I would have kept running and hid, hoping not to hear these words. But something kept me rooted to the spot. Ether it was Jimmy or a sudden burning curiosity to find out about this place. Jack started to type.

"So we arrive at this place…" He paused and then pressed the 'S' key of the typewriter.

"S…K…U…" Jack said out loud. I glanced up at Jimmy and I knew he was piecing the letters together. I gulped nervously, trying to figure out any dark and hidden words that formed this dangerous word. I came up with nothing and closed my eyes, listening to Jack's speech.

"L…L." Jack finished typing the word and I gave the smallest of gasps. S. K. U. L. L. Skull what? Skull Island? Jimmy stared at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence. Then Carl turned around, to see us. His eyes widened when he realized whom it was. Jimmy looked up at him and I suddenly, was holding his hand and griping it tightly.

"Island." I listened to the last of Jack's typing before I suddenly couldn't hold up all the adrenaline that was pumping through my body. I tore up the stairs, almost literally dragging Jimmy along with me. I didn't want to hear the rest. I wasn't about to hear the rest. And we had to tell someone, because by the look of Jimmy's face, the island meant something. I swear on my own grave, with that name, it wasn't a happy place at all.

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**I still laugh when Jack gets all dramatic on the spelling but I love it even more when it gets a close-up of Jimmy:D Review please?**


	5. Scary Stories

Okayyy... being the idiot I am sometimes, I realized this disclaimer has been saying 'the plot are the property of the author' and that's NOT TRUE. No, this probably has no use of being put here... but, hey, it makes me feel better:p But I'm too lazy at the moment to go fix it up... Anways, sorry everyone with story alert, for 'spamming' your email inbox with my silly edit/updated chapters... just had to fix 'em up!

**Thank you to everyone whom is reveiwing, story alerting or reading! Also, a small special thanks to JainaZekk621:)** They reviewed my two (but there's actually 3 of them if anyone cares:P) other Jumper stories! Thanks for them:) The stories (all 3 of them) are a trilogy about an OC/Griffin.. I know, lots of them have been done:) But I bet lots of you thought that same thing when you read this story, huh? That's all in good humor:3 Anyways, check them out if you want;)

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**There is some 'fluffy' in here between two characters but merely a more flirty, akward friendship growing into more. Don't want to read, don't have to. I'm not forcing you- but it's cute in my eyes;D**

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I peered over the edge, watching the water lap at the Venture's sides hazily. I started to peer closer when I saw the grey figures moving closer to the top of the water. A dolphin's fin appeared in the water and then dipped back down. More appeared around it and were going up and down, up and down.

I felt blissfully happy when I could hear them filming. I pulled myself to standing up straight, holding a hand to block the sun from my face. Carl and his crew, plus Ann and Baxter, were filming. An angry and nervous twist came inside me and I could understand why.

Anger because Carl had lied to my newly adopted 'family' on the _Venture_.

Nervousness because I had no clue what he was going to do about Jimmy and my sudden knowledge of where we are actually going. Or finding or whatever Carl had in mind.

I watched as the two actors said their lines, putting on those wonder fake masks actors made for each character. Yes, it was quite easy for them to slip into another character and then out into another. I only hoped Ann wasn't as sly and slippery as Baxter appeared, and acted, to be.

"Louie," Jimmy whispered, calling me by my fake name with so many people around. I turned around and saw that his eyes were deeply troubled. Seeing my reflection in them, I knew I didn't look any better.

"We've gotta tell Mr. Hayes," he whispered and I gave a mute nod. He could talk to the wise man; I wasn't about to say anything till I figured out what was so wrong with Skull Island. In many books, names like those associated with death and pain. Where ships suddenly disappeared in the night and appeared somewhere far away, crushed and destroyed and crewless.

I shivered suddenly, though I stood in direct sunlight but I followed Jimmy silently anyway. With me shuffling behind him, he walked up to Mr. Hayes.

Mr. Hayes was staring directly at the Carl, who was behind the camera and rolling the knob. Carl returned his stare with an uneasy one of his own. I glanced away nervously as Jimmy whispered quickly into Mr. Hayes' ear. The crew behind us quickly picked up on the words and started to pester Jimmy with questions. They avoided me because of my distant look out towards the film crew.

Jimmy assured them that are what we had heard. But I didn't respond to the few questions directed at me; like Mr. Hayes, I stood watching Carl. So my suspicions were true. A snake. He called cut, complimenting on Baxter's performance. He gave us a nervous glance before ushering him into another room. I suppressed the urge to sneak up and listen to what they're talking about.

But I doubted Baxter had anything to do with this, as Jack did in the beginning. But now that he knew and wasn't speaking up, I was starting to become suspicious of him. Was Carl's whole little pack of workers, Preston (his assistant), Herb and Mike (his cameraman and sound manager), in on this? I didn't like to think of the thought it they were. I heard Jimmy finish our little story and turned to Mr. Hayes.

"It's true, Mr. Hayes." I assured him, roughening up my voice and lowering it the best I could to make it sound male. He merely glazed at me but less than a minute he was staring back at where Carl had disappeared.

"I don't like him," I explained to Jimmy as we sat in his cage as above us, they filmed some more. He shrugged, picking at the old mattress. He sat across from me, sitting on his bed while I saw on the one Jack used. I sighed, placing my head in my palms as my elbows rested on my knees.

"Me too," Jimmy agreed without glancing up. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

"Do you miss home?" Jimmy asked suddenly, looking at me with these sincere eyes. I sucked in a sharp breath, staring at the ground. I was completely caught off guard by his question and truly had no idea how to respond. He waited patiently until I heard him mumble an apology.

"No… it's fine. Yes, I miss it very much."

"Oh." His response made me frown and I looked up at him, tilting my head as I always did when I was confused.

"What's wrong?" I said, pulling my legs and tucking them under my chin.

"I… kind of was hoping you'd say you didn't. So you could stay on the Venture." He spoke quickly and it was in a low voice, so his words were muddled. A light, rosy blush rushed to his cheeks.

"Really?" I mused, puckering my lips so I didn't smile. He nodded, not meeting my glaze. When he did though, a small smile crept along his face.

"Why do you find that funny?"

"No, it's not that. It's just that… well," I sighed suddenly, feeling a tired exhaustion come over me. Jimmy looked at me with an eagerness I could remember from somewhere. Tony; the little nine year old boy appeared in my head. He wanted to listen to my story, my own personal story like how Tony always loved to listen to the stories I told him I've read about.

"I… ran away. My brother knew about it though, so I wasn't disappearing in the mist. No, he actually helped me plan to leave." I murmured. I lowered my glaze and stared at the ground in an ashamed way.

"Why'd you run?" He asked. I immediately looked at Jimmy but he, once again, ignored my look.

"I… guess I wanted an adventure and knew I wasn't about to find it at home," I gave a half-hearted shrug and continued on, "and I was getting tired of my parents." He made no comment and continued to pick at the mattress. I rubbed my temples, closed my eyes and I felt the rocking of the boat. I allowed my body to sway gently with the motion, finding it quite relaxing.

"You said your… parents had a lot of books… did they?" I peeked through a half opened eye and saw Jimmy looking at me, eagerly. I nodded, dropping my hands.

"My mother did."

"But… not your Father?" He was hesitant, afraid if he was becoming too eager for information. I nodded in agreement with his question.

"My father… loved his business. He rarely picked up a book unless he had to."

Jimmy didn't respond but started to shuffle through a pile of things. I tried to peer over but then saw what he was looking for. _Heart of Darkness_, his book on long loan. He glazed at it and then walked over to my side of the cage. He gently sat next to me, very close and handed the book.

"Do ya wanna read it? Uh...together?" He whispered, looking at me with wide eyes. I took the book from his hand, which fell to rest on his stomach. I glazed at him with wonder. What could have caused this? Where had this come from? Why am I feeling butterflies in my stomach with him so near?

"Where do you want me to start?" I whispered shakily. I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself but my heartbeat stayed accelerated all the same. I glanced nervously, wondering if it was loud enough to hear me.

"I marked the page," he said quietly. He scooted closer, peering over my shoulder. I slowly skimmed the pages, finding the slightly folded page's corner. I slide my finger slowly along the page and turned to the page, letting my eyes rest on the words. Jimmy shifted for a moment then did something that made my heart skip a beat. He rested his head on my shoulder, waiting for me to start. His eyes skimmed over the page before he glanced up at me.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," he spoke quietly.

"I'll read," I said too eagerly and he smiled. I stared at the words, trying to concentrate on them and speaking them. But no sound came out of my throat.

"Um…"

"Something wrong?" He asked and quickly slipped the book from my hands. He was staring directly at me, a slight frown on his face.

"I… I…" I still wasn't able to speak and when he realized what he was doing, we both blushed to a bright tomato red. He looked away casually and I tried to regain my self-confidence back.

"I'll start," I finally suggested and opened my hand for the book. He glanced at the book lovingly and then handed it to me, watching me as I found the page again.

I took a deep, long breath and then begun to read. We switched back and forth; I helped Jimmy with some of the tough words, we laughed as we pronouced them as complete nonsense and the cages became eerie quiet when we came to a few darks parts; our voices became ominious then, a low murmur of sounds and words. Then we would start to laugh quietly and nervously again, merely because of the goosebumps appearing on our arms and the hairs on our necks standing up straight. Time passed quickly by.

It seemed only minutes passed as I realized Jimmy was asleep, with his head still resting on my shoulder. My heart pounded against my ribcage, making my chest feel like it's about to burst. I knew better than to feel this emotion but I couldn't help it. My eyelids slowly drooped and I struggled to keep them open.

Only minutes after I stopped reading I too, fell asleep.

xxx

I could hear a murmur of low voices and then the light quick steps of someone going up to the deck. A heavier pair of feet followed those and after that pair left the stairs, it became eerie quiet. I snapped open my eyes and saw that I was alone.

Someone must have needed Jimmy's help and they were letting me sleep. I blushed in the darkness when I saw Jack sleeping on Jimmy's bed. He snored slightly and I realized, he hadn't stirred at all by the visitor and Jimmy's leaving. I glanced at him one last time before sneaking up the stairs, barely putting pressure on the metal bars.

I peeked outside on the deck, glancing around wearily. I saw a flicker of movement towards the main cabin, where everyone met and ate. I shivered at the cool breeze, suddenly missing the warmth from having Jimmy so close and Jack's body heat. I snuck around the corner, seeing Mr. Hayes' body round the corner, Jimmy's small and frail body compared to his, following him silently. I frowned and puckered my lips in confusion.

Why the almost silent footsteps? Why the quick walking, heading towards the main cabin? A thought hit me. Mr. Hayes was confronting Carl. I glanced up where Captain Englehorn would be, guiding the ship wearily. Something inside my head whispered to me that he had yet to find out about this secret meeting. I snuck around the corner where Mr. Hayes and Jimmy disappeared, then immediately pulled myself back. This was the main cabin, where many of the men ate! But Mr. Hayes and Jimmy were yet to be seen.

I sighed shakily and begun to listen closely.

Carl and Preston's voices were too low for me to hear. But when a deeper voice spoke, their little bickering stopped.

"If someone were to tell you this ship was heading to Singapore, what would you say?" The dark man's voice echoed in the quiet.

Mr. Hayes strode though a door, walking quite slowly to the two men sitting at the tiny table. I held my breath, peeking through a small window outside the door. This main cabin had to many doors for men to come out of and it was making me on edge. I closed my eyes, hoping this all was a bad dream.

The Skull Island. Carl's betrayal. The secrets and lies all around me were all just a bad dream. I'd wake up and the crew and I would be heading to Singapore, to make sure that boat got safely there and back to New York. But I knew that wasn't going to happen. I heard another man enter, his footsteps were too heavy to be Jimmy's. He spoke and I frowned, trying to decipher what he just said. But I could barely hear his- Lumpy's- voice through the thick wood.

I inched closer to the open door and caught the last of his words.

"I'd say they're full of it Mr. Hayes. We just turned south-west last night." I glanced nervously at the sky, wishing I had read a book on star consolation. Then I could give a good guess on where we were. But I hadn't and my sense of direction was terrible, so I gave up on it. I went back to listening.

"Gentlemen, please… we're not looking for trouble." Carl's voice was wary and low. I grimaced, trying to listen harder. I heard Jimmy's familiar footsteps arrive into the room. I could picture everyone focusing in on him.

"No. You're looking for somethin' else." It was a statement, not a question; it was an accusation and Jimmy had hit the nail right on the head. The three of men, Mr. Hayes, Lumpy and Jimmy, had cornered Carl. For him, there was no way out now. I grinned to myself, feeling that justice wasn't far off from Carl. It would be only a matter of time…

Carl shifted, looking at each of the men. Jimmy stood in the background, his eyes glaring at Carl in an angry, untrustful manner. Carl licked his lips nervously and said in a quiet voice, "Yes, we are."

Now he's being honest! Angry burned in my stomach. He couldn't just tell them right away, that I knew. Seeing the reaction of the crew towards the name 'Skull Island' was reason enough. They wouldn't have done this if they'd become the richest men in the world afterwards. I wanted to enter the room very badly but my legs didn't move and so, I held my hiding place.

"We are going to find Skull Island." There was a pause in the air as each other them were alone to their thoughts. I let out a shaky breath quietly as possible as Carl spoke up again.

"Find it, film it and show it to the world."

Carl's voice was blunt but I swear I hinted on arrogance. He truly did expect to find Skull Island; for a moment, I doubted everyone. There was no way that this island could be real! The stories were just twisted tales to scare children and in this case, grown men and a woman. But when I peeked in the window, glazing at each of the crewmen, I took it back.

I believed them.

"For twenty-five cents, you get to see the last blank spot on the map." Though Carl was trying to sound enthusiastic, his voice was very blank. No one said a word as, I assumed, they stared each other. When I thought the silence would go on forever, Lumpy spoke up.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." His voice was rough and scratchy and deep too. All more than his usual tone. Preston, who had remained sitting at the table, partly peered over his shoulder at Lumpy.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

His voice was quiet but a hidden curiosity was underneath it. I silently hoped that Lumpy wouldn't answer him. I didn't want to hear any scary stories anymore; I wanted to see the sun to shine as we landed at Singapore and waited for Carl and his own crew walk away from our ship. Though we would have to make the voyage home with them, at least that would be more bearable than having to explore uncharted islands. Islands that seemed to freeze your heart at the name and make you tremble in fear.

It was the same wish as before and just as last time, it was ignored. Lumpy continued on.

"Seven years ago, me and Mr. Hayes were working on the passages ways of the-" I stopped listening and covered my ears. I should leave now; I could leave now. No one would ever find out that I was hear and listening on this conversation. But curiosity got the better of me and I unplugged my ears to hear Mr. Hayes start up.

"Picked up a castaway. Found him in the water," he started and I leaned closer to the wood, eating up every word that came out of his mouth. For a moment, I was surprised to find myself reminded of Tony again.

"He'd been drifting for days." Mr. Hayes ended and Lumpy picked up where he left off.

"His ship had run along an island. Way west of Senile Trail. An island… hidden in fog." I peeped through the window above me again to see Lumpy picking at what appeared to be a shell or rock or something of that sort. I pulled myself back down and closed my eyes.

My mind begun to wander as I listened to their voices, picturing their words into actual things.

"He spoke of a huge wall. Built so long ago, no one knew who made it. A wall, hundred foot high. Strong as today as it was a ages ago." Lumpy stopped speaking, going back to his little work.

I shivered as I pictured this looming, dark grey stonewall above me in my head. I was doused in darkness as I pictured it, a great light flooding behind it so the wall was illuminated like there was a giant candle behind it. I gave another small shiver as I listened again.

"Why'd they build the wall?" Preston's voice was scared and everyone could hear it. I opened my eyes; the light from the main cabin flooded my vision. I hoped that it would scare away the dark images in my head. I had to give it to Lumpy; he was a darn good storyteller. Except this wasn't some fiction novel he was reading… this really happened.


	6. A Lazy Day

I have been naughtyXD I told myself: "Penn, you shall not update today- the story is going too fast! And your still depressed about finishing the last chapter... let the wonderful readers & reviewers wait! Patience is a virtue!" Then I told myself: "Okay... why am I think-talking to myself?" Lol, that's trueXD

Anyways, I was working on my other story that I'm started and then I was like: "I need music!" Being the 'genious by birth, idiot by choice!' (more than likely my spelling is off, so that's irony for ya) person I am, I chose to listen to the songs that truly invented Lucy, Louie's and all my other OC's (mostly) in this story. That made me think of the 1930's and what it could have possibly been like!

Hehe: OneRepublic (everyone has the right to their own opinions, so if you don't like 'em, you don't have to really care about the band or... whatever)!

So.... of course it made me realize I miss Lucy & The Venture crew:( So I iz naughty... here's chapter 6! Oops, forgot to say: **THANK YOU TO ALL MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS & THEIR REVIEWS, THE READERS WHO TAKE THEIR TIME TO READ MY STORY & ANYONE WHO CARES TO READ THESE NOTES!** Thank you, that is all^^ Enjoy!

Also: Fluffiness - slight- in chappie below! =impatient, wild, flailing around=

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"The castaway," Lumpy started again, "spoke of a creature. Neither a beast nor man. Something monstrous living behind that wall."

Carl, who gave a small chuckle, broke the eerie silence that hung in the air. For once, I thanked his sick humor. I had enough to being scared by this tale and wanted nothing more than for Jimmy and I go back to the cages, where Jack lay asleep.

"A lion or tiger. A man-eater; that's how all these stories start." He said but I could picture him glancing around at the crewman. No one responded to his comment and Preston spoke up again.

"What else did he say?"

I held my breath, waiting for the answer.

"Nothin'. We had found him the next morning. He had stuck a knife through his heart."

I was glad for the very blunt answer and felt my dark wall images slipping away from my mind; though I did see a flash of a bleeding man that I quickly shook away. But I knew they weren't going away forever.

Carl gave another humming chuckle. I allowed myself to peek through the circle window again, seeing him stretch out and grab up his papers.

"Sorry fellas, you'll have to do better than that." He turned around, Preston picking up a clipboard and following him.

"Monsters belong in B rated movies."

Carl wasn't frightened or at least, was not letting the fear in his voice. My head started to agree with him, just for a second. It is quite easy to spin a tale into a scary story. I wondered; could Carl be right? Could they just be scared for themselves and their superstitions to actually set out and fin Skull Island? But once again, my loyalty to the crew remained victorious.

As far as I know them, especially Mr. Hayes, they wouldn't lie about these things.

"Wait, if you find this island. If you go ashore with your friends and your cameras… you won't come back." Mr. Hayes voice was a warning call to Carl but I doubted he got it. He merely stared at Mr. Hayes for a moment.

"Just as long as you understand that."

My legs start to tingle and itch. I realized they had fallen asleep and I knew I would be fleeing from this very soon. But I wanted to hear the end of it; to make sure I didn't miss anything that was of valuable information. When I heard Carl and Preston shuffle away, I was about to run. But Mr. Hayes caught me first.

I was frozen in fear as he gripped my arm and I could feel my body trembling under his glaze. It was a dark, deep and intimidating glare.

"How much did you hear?" He asked in his deep voice. Jimmy appeared by his side, frowning angrily at me.

"All of it," I squeaked and I didn't struggle against his hold. But his hand seemed to relax.

"Get out of here," he said and let me go. I was racing towards the cages like the whole world was out to get me. I could hear Jimmy racing after me and I only quickened my speed. I slipped down the stairs and stumbled to the bottom, making a decent racket of noise.

There was a slight ruffle of the mattress sheets and a small snore from Jack; his breathing became irregular. He was waking up. Well, he had to be a heavy sleeper to have slept straight through my fall. I lay on the ground, holding my breath as Jack's breathing became normal again. I slowly stood up when a hand suddenly snatched my arm. I gave a yelp but a hand covered my mouth before the sound could become a scream.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Jimmy's urgent voice said and his hand unclamped from my mouth. He allowed me to answer.

Jimmy's use of my name made my heart flutter and it seemed that my lungs couldn't get any air. I merely stared at him with wide eyes, shaking my head.

"No," I croaked.

"No, I'm not! We have a crazed man looking for this terrible island that scares the living daylights out of this whole crew and no one is doing anything about!" I said frantically. Jimmy gave me a good shake and the world spun around me as he spoke again.

"Everything is fine, Lucy," he stressed on the word fine. I gulped nervously at him, slowly feeling the panic and hysteria leave my system. I sighed deeply and stared at the ground, ashamed of my sudden outburst.

"Are you sure?" I whispered quietly as Jack stirred in his bed.

Jimmy didn't respond to me but he gave a curt nod to me; I wondered if he was trying to convince himself too. I smiled weakly, shaking my head and hopefully, the last panic away.

"Is it true? He's looking for it?" I whispered, glancing at Jack and then back at Jimmy. A slight scared look came to his eyes and he nodded silently. We both glanced at Jack when the man tossed in his sleep. I started to wonder how I was able to sleep through his restlessness.

"We should push Carl overboard," I mumbled and Jimmy laughed, grinning at me.

"Yeah, that's what we should do."

"But that's not going to happen," I finished with an unhappy sigh. He chuckled again and nodded in agreement. I shifted uncomfortably and started to walk around him, heading towards my cage. But his hand gripped my arm suddenly, causing me to stop.

"Lucy." He spoke my name and I shivered. He stepped forward, suddenly eliminating the space between us. My heartbeat thudded wildly against my rib cage as he leaned in. He kissed me lightly on the cheek and pulled back, smiling slyly at me. His hand slid from my arm and gingerly gripped my hand.

I suddenly laughed, swinging our hands together. He laughed along with me, his eyes gleaming happily.

"Good night, Jimmy," I whispered, letting go and walking over to my cage.

"G'night, Lucy," he responded.

I grinned blissfully in the darkness. I quietly slid into my cage, finding my blankets I had borrowed from Jimmy. I pulled the close, listening to Jimmy's breathing than gradually slowed down and he fell asleep. For a while, I merely sat there and swayed with the ship. At last, when I thought I would never fall asleep, I closed my eyes and pressed my cheek to the thin blanket below me.

xxx

"Tired, Louie?" Another crewman asked, giving me a bright smile as I pasted by. I shrugged, stifling another yawn. A few of the men laughed and I continued on walking, trying to appear like I was not dead on my feet.

I tugged my hat closer to my head, wondering if it was still a dark brown color or black from all the dirt and grime that possibly got on it. I paused at the railing, glancing down as the water lapped at the sides. A very peaceful day; I was completely avoiding the dark thoughts from the other night.

I waited for a moment, the grey fins of the dolphins I saw the other day, to appear. Unfortunately, they didn't and I decided they headed a different direction. As if they knew what we were looking for. I shook the thought away with a flick of my head. I strode towards the cages, slowly going down the stairs. Jack and Jimmy had yet to be seen since breakfast.

Who knows where they are or what they're up to. Lately, I've noticed many of the crewmen finally feel completely comfortable with me around. But without Jimmy hovering behind me like a guard dog. They usually plucked me from conversations I sat and listened to but did not participate in, so I wasn't a true bother to anyone.

Many times the jobs evolved reaching for things or fixing things that they couldn't fix because of their hands being to large to fit into the cracks where something fell or too fat of fingers to handle wires and whatnot. I enjoyed it greatly, soaking up the new knowledge like a sponge. It was great when they asked me to do something and it involved using my head.

But today was a lazy day for everyone. Men spotted the deck, playing cards and gambling among each other. I didn't join, since I had no money and had little idea on playing cards. My brother always told me that I should learn how to play, but I was strongly against gambling. I have met one too many children whom are homeless because of someone in their family carelessly throwing their money away.

But I didn't use that as my answer. Instead I merely stated it was a waste of time and money that could be used for something much more important. I thought I had a very strong reason there and took no part in the little bets and games he had with his friends. I sighed, feeling suddenly lonely without Jack or Jimmy or Lumpy around to talk to normally. Even Mr. Hayes would have been fine but I could never feel mature enough to talk to him.

I would stand in amazement when Jimmy talks to him or snaps back at him. Though he is normally put through a lecture of some sort, Mr. Hayes does nothing more. And he's the first mate on this ship; from observation, no man dares to talk to him like that. Besides Captain Englehorn of course. He's the captain and has every power to do so.

Captain Englehorn, I silently thanked him for letting me stay and become part of the crew, instead of some type of prisoner. Though it was fairly hard to convince half the crew that they had hired me right before the boat took off and I had gotten lost in the cages, they eventually believed us. Some of them were greatly happy for my smallness and easiness and eagerness to learn while others were far more wary. But I had won them over all the same.

Maybe because I was practically mute around them, only speaking in a very low voice to answer there direct questions at me or merely because I looked so young and innocent. Maybe it was because with me onboard, Jimmy didn't have to pester them and he had someone closer to his age to talk to. He was, after all, the youngest 'sibling' on the ship.

Yes, I referred to them as my adopted family. Though I only knew a few of their names, I had memorized their faces to the extent where I could pick each of them out in a giant crowd. The thought made me proud of myself and sometimes I wondered if I should reveal that their newest mate has been a girl the whole time. But each moment I bring it up, I remind myself that some of them may lose trust and I would be back were I started. So I remained Louie to the rest of the crew, including Carl, Preston Herb, Mike, Ann and Baxter. I was surprised Jack had yet to mention my true identity to Ann.

It was hard to miss the glazes they did at each other half way across the ship. But it seemed the crew was oblivious to those glances and stares. I heard my name being called and I immediately stood up. Lumpy was motioning for me, from the kitchen.

"Lou, can you fix up the lunch? Man cut his finger and gotta stitch it up," he asked me. I gave him a silent nod, watching he walk towards a small huddled group. He shooed them away and I noticed the small kit of surgeon tools. I slipped into the kitchen before he took them out.

Preston was chewing slowly while I pulled on an apron, rolling my sleeves. I made sure to cause not a lot noise as I started to take up what Lumpy had appeared to be doing before the little slip up. Preston made no eye contact as he ate. But he did, obviously, want to start up a conversation.

"Louie is it?" He asked politely. I didn't raise my eyes to look at him, a habit I was quickly gaining and gave him a curt nod. He lowered his glaze back to his food, his head slightly bowed. Obviously, he was quite lonely on the ship. I suddenly felt sorry for Preston. Even with Carl, Herb and Mike around, he still felt out of place while I had settled in like a long-lost missing piece of the puzzle. I seemed to blend in perfectly with the crew.

"It's Preston, right?" I decided it was worth it to at least to try and make him feel comfortable. He immediately looked at me, blinking slowly as he tried to figure that I did talk.

"Y-yes." He stammered, glancing at me and looked back down again.

"What do you do? I mean… for Carl." But I was nowhere near comfortable enough to talk openly with him, like Jack and Jimmy. I'll try my best to keep the topic on him, I thought silently as he answered.

"I'm his assistant." He muttered unhappily and grumbled something under his breath. I glanced up from my fishy work, trying not to wrinkle my nose as the first smell of burning fish hit my nose. He was upset or at least, moody about something. A gnawing curiosity burned in me and I decided to question him.

"Something wrong?" I said quietly. Preston shrugged, pushing up his glasses.

"No," his voice was rough and much different from his original stammering or nervous voice. I frowned, processing the information in my head.

"There's something wrong," I stated. He huffed angrily and said nothing.

"There is nothing wrong. What does it matter to you anyway?" He snapped, turning to me with an angry glare. I shrugged casually and stared back at my work. I wasn't offended by his words, just merely surprised. He cleared his throat, obviously realizing his mistake.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, pulling off his glasses and cleaning them with jerky, swift movements. I shrugged again.

"Nothing done wrong, Preston." I murmured. I picked up the dishes, swiftly pulling them into a sink and started to wash. Lumpy could thank me later; I already had the lunch sizzling away and I needed to look like I was busy. Otherwise I knew that the conversation would turn onto me.

"Do you want to become a director?" I asked, glancing at Preston. He stared at his empty plate but as soon as I spoke, his eyes jumped onto mine.

"What do you mean?"

"Like Carl… filming." I said, pausing in washing dishes and leaning on the counter. I watched out the little window above the sink. I couldn't see anything except the small deck area, the railing and then the sea. Brown, grey and then blue; I listed off the colors in my head.

"Oh, yes. Yes I do."

"Would you… never mind." I stopped myself, biting my bottom lip and stopped talking. I was going to ask him if he would do what Carl did, betray a whole shipload of people just to film a movie. Though Preston tried to get the question out of me, I remained mute. Finally, he walked away and as I watched Preston sulk away, Lumpy walked by him.

"Whatya do to Preston, Lou?" He asked with a smile. I merely puckered my lips and smirked.

"Ah, the silence." He laughed, ushering my away with his hands. I quickly pulled off the apron and placed it back on its rightful hook. I saw him peer over the food and he chuckled to himself. He turned to me, still smiling.

"The boys will know I didn't cook this. Did you cook back home?"

I merely shrugged, letting a small smile slip onto my face. Lumpy shook his head and jerked his thumb towards the door.

"Jimmy was looking for ya. Down by the cages, I think." I gave Lumpy one last glance; his back remained towards me and so I took it as a dismissal. I slid out and became wandering the deck towards the door. But I was yanked on the arm by non-other than Jimmy himself. There was a happy smile on his face.

"What's got you riled up?" I asked as he let go but slipped his hand into mine.

"Do you like dancing Lucy?" The random question made me tilt my head slightly. His voice sounded eager but he didn't say anything else and he started to drag me by the wrist. I frowned at him, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Um… I guess. Why do you ask?" I was a bit weary now, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Don't you ever wonder what we do in our spare time?"

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**Review please?** Also, a small sorry to all the past reviewers out there... I'm having a hard time keeping up with which review is for which chapter, since I'm too lazy to look closely at the Traffic stats closely... anways, thanks though! And you guys know who you are:)  
Also, I hope that slight kiss was approiate for the the, er, era? Time period? Get what I'm saying, yeah... I like small fluffy clouds that drift in & out of meh chappies- so niceand fffflllluuuufffffffyyyy (fluffy).


	7. Dancing On The Venture

Here it is! The chapter you all have been waiting for!!!!!! Yes, yes, dancing- I know there is a part of this story a little cliche... but I planned on Lucy being like that- dancing anyhow^^ She has a lot in common with Jimmy... no, they're probably not 'soul-mates' but it's their 'first love' and yeah... you think they're the one; they're just like you; they do what you do, and hate what you hate... blah blah blah,lolXD That is more or less, what type of love Lucy & Jim-bo (yes, I call him that; though I love Jimmy's nameXD) are expressing and experiencing :)

**Thank you to Mindy Morganna, HeeHeeHee01, JaniaZekk621 for reviewing! Also, thank you to anyone who voted on my poll- even though (as far as I can remember) I haven't mentioned it:D You guys are AWESOME!**

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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He chuckled, flashing me a bright smile and he dropped my wrist. I was actually getting quite use to him dragging me everywhere. I didn't have the guts to go exploring by myself and Jimmy knew every crack of this ship; it was quite surprising from where he could just suddenly appear. Very similar to Jerry, back home; I completely ignored that wandering thought and I frowned at him, slowly piecing together everything.

"Jimmy…" I spoke, shaking my head.

"What?" He said, turning to me.

"I can't dance good at all." I grinned shyly at him and his smile widened.

"Aw, come on. You've gotten to dance at lease once in your life… after all, you are a…" he glanced around and I laughed quietly, not letting him finish.

"I don't know if I should answer you honestly or not, Jimmy. But, yes, I have danced before. Just not that good." He shook his head, still grinning.

"Then you should probably be better than half the guys on the ship. Let's go!" He took up my wrist again and started to drag me one more. I was able to wiggle out of his iron grip and smiled at him. But it wasn't a pleasant smile; it was a smile saying that I wasn't going to do it.

"I'll sit and watch for a little bit."

"Lou," he said, his shoulders slouching. Everyone was reverting to shortening my name now. I started to hear the music and Jimmy sighed impatiently. But a smile was still on his face as he beamed at me.

"You'll be missing out on all the fun."

"I think I can handle it." I answered confidently and we walked around the corner, onto the open deck. A few men were already hopping around and clapping. I noticed Jack standing near the stairs and I walked over to join him. Soon there were some whoops and I saw Jimmy engage Ann into what seemed like a very pleasant, happy dance. I plopped next to Jack, watching the crew with curious eyes.

"You don't dance," he stated. I shrugged, not tearing my eyes off Jimmy's bright smile. I even noticed that Mr. Hayes had joined the group and some men held drinks in their hands. No wonder they seemed so full of energy.

"Neither do you," I smirked as I spoke this. He returned the shrug and we both turned to watching the group of clapping men and the dancing couple.

"You should go dance with her," I whispered. A rosy blush entered his cheeks and he turned towards me.

"What?"

"You should go dance with Ann."

"Why- how do you know…" He was quite surprised to realize what I knew about him and Ann.

"Jack," I said, lowering my volume so I could use my actual voice. I stared him directly in the eyes as I spoke again.

"I'm a girl. I notice these things, unlike the crew members." I grinned as I saw someone let Ann wear his hat as she and Jimmy did their little jig to the music.

"Huh," was all his answer and we both went glazing at the group again. Everyone was smiling and clapping, a few were singing but we were lucky enough to have the instruments to cover up their singing.

"You should go dance with him." Jack spoke and turned to me, a sheepish grin on his face. It was my turn to blush now; I could feel the heat radiate off my cheeks and I wondered how noticeably it was.

"I'm a boy, remember? And how do you know I can dance?"

He smirked harder and I realized what I had said. I puckered my lips angrily and went back to watching the group. But I was glaring a bit now; my eyes narrowed frustrated.

"You just said so," he mused.

"Yes… my friends and I back in New York, held little dances with many others at night. At night because it was alone and also night because none of us couldn't really dance so we never knew who was a partner. It saved anyone of any snide or rude remarks." I paused, wondering if I should continue. I did.

"It was quite fun and many times, we didn't have basic music. Very few children had instruments and even fewer could play. Sometimes we had to beat out rhythms on cans and the ground. Many times we clapped, shouted and sang together. One time, we actually had a group of drunken men able us to get close enough to a tavern so we could dance in the back."

I paused again, remembering the night with a blissful smile. The drunken men were quite funny and couldn't talk straight. The younger children found it funny to ask them the oddest questions and laugh at their nonsense answers.

"But many of us couldn't actually dance… I was one of those ones. I merely enjoyed the company, the happiness and the laughter… though they always dragged me out anyways. No matter how many precautions I took so I would be half hidden in the group of children. My friends loved torturing me that way." I shook my head.

He grinned and leaned against the stairs. I noticed the beat started to slow down and Jimmy picked up Ann. He spun her around on his shoulders as she bowed, waving the hat off her head. He set her down, his face flushed from the exercise.

"You aren't going to ask her," I whispered as Ann handed Jimmy back the hat; it wasn't his; Jimmy's hat was pitch black with a small brim and he wore is slightly diagonal. Ann's hat she had held was a plain, floppy brown one; an extra maybe. I noticed Jimmy glanced at me, a small smirk on his face. Jack noticed it too but he was shifting his weight around a bit.

"No. But someone is going to make you dance." I puckered my lips angrily as Jimmy, with half the crew behind him, ran up to me.

"Come on Louie!" called one of them and I shook my head. Many laughed and I could hear taunts and jeers. Ann smiled at me; her cheeks were still red from the dance. I turned to look at my side, hoping for Jack to defend me. But he had slipped away already. Jimmy stood in front of me waiting. I sighed, letting the scowl leave my face. The men laughed and started to clap again, setting a much faster pace than before.

"I'm warning you, Jimmy," I growled to him. He merely smirked and started to dance again. The men made the half circle around us again, leaving us enough room to do whatever we wanted.

Suddenly, I found it much easier to keep up with him after a moment of watching him. The beat was quick and fast, much to the music the children and I had at night. We rarely liked slow music since there was much more boys than girls and it never evened itself out. I smiled as Ann soon joined us and she laughed, quite enjoying herself. Jimmy and I started to follow her example, moving quite in sync. It went on like this for moments. I was no dancer at all but the faces swirled around me as we spun and laughed along with each other. It was pure happiness! But still, I slowly dropped out, letting Jimmy and Ann take the spotlight again.

I clapped along with the men, watching as Jimmy and Ann twirled past us. Though I was smiling, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy towards Ann. I wanted to be the one in there with Jimmy, but with my boy disguise on, I would raise too much suspicion.

"Not bad kid. Could have challenged Jim for his title," complimented one of the crewmen. I grinned, forgetting the ugly emotion and remembered to enjoy. I could feel the heat radiate off my body from exhilaration; this would definitely have to happen again. After a while, jobs started to appear and soon, the dancing party was over. Jimmy was beet red from all of it and he couldn't stop grinning, it almost seemed glued to his face. I laughed as he tripped over his own feet; he looked completely exhausted though his eyes twinkled energetically.

"Can't walk anymore, Jimmy?" I chuckled as he flashed another small childish smile as he straightened up.

"So… whatda think?" He asked out of breath as we headed down to the cages. I laughed, plopping down on Jack's bed. Jimmy threw himself onto his, making it creak under his weight as he hit it.

"It was quite different from what I'm use to," and there I told him what I told Jack. About the wonderful warm summer nights where we would sneak out, trying to find a big enough area for many children. How we sometimes planned ahead of the next biggest dance.

"So you liked it?" Jimmy sounded truly happy as he spoke. Not the timid or quiet Jimmy I had met much earlier, in the beginning of this adventure on this ship.

"I wouldn't be so resistant to join you up there if we do it again." I smiled and he laughed, rolling from his stomach to his back. He glazed up at the ceiling, as he finally was able to catch his breath.

"Though I would suggest some singing lessons for some of the crewmen." That sent us into a small laughing fit.

I woke up late that night, seeing Jack sitting on his bed. His back was up against the bars and a typewriter sat in his lap. A small candlelight burned next to him, giving just barely enough light to see the letters.

I pulled the blankets closer to my body, feeling my eyes drooping again. I fell back asleep, remembering my first dream when I came here. It replayed in my head, except everyone was dancing this time. And the letters that floated in the water were music notes instead.

Another day came and went. That same night, I felt the ship shift. We had been heading in the same direction, from what I have heard, for a while. Suddenly, there was some turning and sliding. We were changing course; I had no guess on which direction we were going but I had a feeling it was backwards. I was sitting down in the cages, folding and refolding my blankets.

At night, there were rarely any jobs to do. Except I could join Jimmy up in the watchtower, the thought made me smile. I quickly set down my blankets and leapt up the stairs now with ease. I glanced around, taking a deep breath of the salty air. I wandered around, deciding that I should be able to walk around the deck now without getting into trouble.

I was walking right below where Captain Englehorn steered the ship, the captain's room as I referred to it, when I heard the voices. I stopped in mid stride and I tilted my head upward. I could just barely make out the words. One voice was Captain Englehorn himself and Carl's voice.

"Another week." Carl was offering something and I suspected it wasn't good at all.

"I haven't got a film yet. Please, I have risked everything I have for this." He was pleading now. I glazed up at the deck, but could not see anything besides Captain Englehorn's back leaning against the side of that deck's little wall/railing.

"No, Denham. You have risked everything I have." Captain Englehorn's tone was hard for me to understand and I tired to listen harder.

"What do you want? Tell me what you want! I'll give you anything!"

Carl's voice now was almost desperate but I could hear a slight angered tone to it. Suddenly, I realized what they were talking about. Captain Englehorn obviously had heard something, from whom I don't know and it had to revolve around Carl. I don't think even Captain Englehorn would want to spend this much alone time with Carl.

"I want you off my ship." Captain Englehorn's voice was very blunt and I heard his footsteps walk by the rooted Carl. I glanced up nervously before I slowly continued on my way. I took off running, bounding onto the ropes and nimbly crawling up. I didn't notice the burning of my hands as I flew up.

I scared the living daylights out of Jimmy when I suddenly appeared, almost out of thin air, in the watchtower. He jumped, slamming his book shut and almost dropping his flashlight down below.

"How did you get up here so fast?" I frowned as he spoke, my head filled with too many thoughts and questions to answer his. I stared at my burning hands and then pressed them to the cool metal.

"You alright?" He asked, pausing from finding where he left off.

"Me? Yes, I'm fine." I lied quickly. I crawled over to the other side of the nest, resting my back against the cool pillar. Jimmy mumbled something but resumed flipping the pages until he reached his latest spot. I moved my hands a little bit each time the metal seemed to loose it's coolness. They stung from climbing the ropes so fast; rope burn, I thought glumly.

I forgot had bad it hurt when I had gotten it when I was ten. That time, it was on accident. Here, I was just so bundled up with nerves; I practically gave myself rope burn. I shifted my hands again. The burning was slowly going to a mere little throb. Then I noticed the sky.

Dark clouds were covering the sky and the stars and very fast too. I was about to mention it to Jimmy, who was much into his book to notice when I saw a figure walk out of the captain's room. From unable to see most of his body, just the light bouncing off his light clothing, I assumed Mr. Hayes. He held something in his hand and he only stood out here for a second before he walked back in.

Suddenly, both Jimmy and I jumped when a horn was sounded off. Jimmy frowned for a moment, but then repositioned, making himself comfortable and begun to read his book again. I frowned, seeing two figures standing near the stairs up to the captain's room. They looked like they were talking to each other, since they were standing quite close. I frowned as I saw a light colored object suddenly leapt away from the one person leaning against the railing.

I only saw a glimpse of it before it floated away and disappeared. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself and looked forward. What I saw practically killed me on the spot.

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And yes, if you look closely (aka on pause), Mr. Hayes is in the blurry background; I paused it multiple times till I figured out it had to be him! **Review Please?**


	8. Rocks In The Mysterious Fog

**THANK YOU to: JainaZekk621, Mindy Morganna, Bellatrix Kale for reviewing the last chapter! And to MidnightWolf43 for reviewing the first chapter!** I hope you enjoy the rest as much as my other reviewers have been^^ **Thank you to anyone whom has done my poll:)**

In recent news: This is sooo funny... but my poll is split- 50/50!!! lolXD 50% for no, 50% for yes- how ironic. That's how I feel about that... I'll leave it up for the rest of the week, but more than likely... no one else will vote on it- so I'll decide by myself... read my profile, there's a new update:)

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

A thick, dense blue-grey fog suddenly surrounded us. I could barely see feet in front of me, let alone out towards the ocean. I peered down and could barely make out the deck. I saw flickers of movement I suspected it was the crewmen. That horn that just went off meant something and it was something important. I shivered suddenly but it wasn't cold. The eeriness of the fog was scaring me now and I wished I were down below, in the cages.

I stared over at Jimmy. He was slowly looked up, a frown becoming apparent on his face. He closed his book, putting it to his side and clambered up. He used the flashlight, peering around and down below. I scrambled up too, gripping the metal bars like the first time I was up in the watchtower. I had grown use to it because of the multiple times Jimmy and I just sat up here. But now, all the trust for this old watchtower was betrayed. I started to hope if anything went wrong, this wouldn't be our death trap.

I turned my attention to the lights. They were dim now, like little candles floating in the air. Dim candles that no other person on another ship could see unless they were right beside us. The thought of being lost at sea out here scared me terribly. But gripping the metal bar tightly, I wouldn't allow myself to tremble as I did when I was scared or frightened.

"What was that noise?" I whispered to Jimmy, whom was staring at the spot where the splash came from. I was afraid of speaking any louder, because I couldn't control my voice enough to speak in my boy tone.

"They're getting a reading," he whispered back to me. I peered back down, catching the number.

"Thirty-five fathoms, no bottom!" called the man whom must have been taking the reading. I sighed in relief and I felt Jimmy relax beside me. There was a long moment, where I slowly felt the ship slow down. Then there was a cry.

"We have seabed!" Jimmy immediately became tense and that made me nervous and jittery. We are getting into shallower water and by Jimmy's reaction, that wasn't supposed to be happening.

Another figure, again I assumed Mr. Hayes, walked out from the captain's room. He peered below and I caught the reader's voice again.

"Twenty-five fathoms!" That's when the crewmen really started to wake up. They all peered towards the reader and I wondered if they were glazing up at the captain's room. I knew I would be if I were down there.

"Another reading!" Mr. Hayes shouted.

"Twenty-two fathoms!" The reader cried back. I saw flickers of movement down below as the crewmen started to scramble around. I wasn't sure what they were doing; I was trying to figure out the math in my head. We started at 35 and then went to 25, then to 22. But my mind wasn't working; it refused to do the math.

I watched the captain's room intensely. Suddenly, they went out with a flicker. For a moment, panic struck me. Did they turn off by themselves? Was something happening to the electricity? But I shook the thoughts away. Captain Englehorn turned them off with good reasons and I shouldn't question them.

But I still gulped nervously. I whipped around, noticing Jimmy turn slowly around to face the front of the ship. He was frowning, trying to make out something in the distance. I walked over to him, standing closer than I needed to be.

Then I saw it.

It was pitch black in the distance but I could easily make out the figure with some squinting of the eyes. Jimmy called out before I did.

"Wall! There's a wall ahead!" I clamped my mouth shut and felt my eyes widen in fright. There's a wall ahead. There's a wall ahead… the dark images from before flooded my head. I gripped the metal bar tighter and I could feel my knuckles protest against it. Part of my mind was screaming to get down, to get to the safety of the cages way below.

But I wasn't leaving. Not unless Jimmy was coming with and I knew he would never leave his post. Captain Englehorn needed us to be here; we were his other set of eyes now. But Jimmy would have to call out though. I was still going through the shock of realization what that wall meant. Skull Island, here we come.

"Lucy! Grip to the watchtower!" Jimmy ordered. He grabbed my wrist and yanked me back from the railing. I wrapped my arms around the thing, staring bug-eyed at the looming object ahead of us. He had one arm wrapped around it and another clung to the railing still.

Slowly, I could see the jagged points of rocks butting out of the Wall. They were menacing and I suppressed the urge to tremble. I had to be strong; Captain Englehorn knew exactly what he was doing. But somewhere, deep inside me, I knew that Captain Englehorn was only human.

He could get scared and panic too. I wouldn't hold it against him if he already were. Jimmy grimaced as I heard the first scraping of rock against metal.

We collided with the rocks not as fast as we could of, but we collided all the same. I could hear the screeching and groaning of the metal as the jagged weapons punctured it. I was lurched forward, but held my grip around the watchtower tightly. That saved me from going forward, so I slipped down and landed hard on my bottom. Jimmy was thrown forward and caught himself by the railing.

"Jimmy! Get back!" I said, pulling myself up. He threw himself, wrapping both arms around the watchtower this times. I could feel one of his hands was very close to my shoulder and all I wished was to be back in the moment where Jimmy was resting his cheek on my shoulder. The physical contact between us made me feel safe and I wanted so badly to have him wrap his arms around me.

But I knew that answer to that wish beforehand.

There was a wild flurry of movement as the crew realized what had happened. They appeared to be grey ants in my eyes, up from the watchtower. I saw a flash of white and I knew Ann was out on the deck too. Jack, get to her! I yelled in my head. But my only hope was to cling to the watchtower and hope it doesn't start to rain.

Jack's shout woke me from my crazy dreams.

"Rocks!" He called out again and Jimmy picked up. He let go of the watchtower and gripped the ropes instead, shouting out in the sailor's direction terms. I couldn't understand what he meant by half of them, but I understood the last part.

"Rocks everywhere!" His loud voice echoed around us. My ears thumped wildly against it.

The_ Venture_ was trying to fight the waves, but they became too strong and we weren't going fast enough. Slowly, a rock to my right suddenly became a lot closer. Jimmy leaned away from it; his left arm gripping the rail with pure white knuckles from the pressure. His other arm was holding onto the bar in front of him. I gripped the watchtower tighter as we swung towards the rock.

With only inches to spare, we swung past it safely. The ship regained herself for a moment and we started to go forward once more. Instead of being tossed sideways by waves. We passed smaller rocks without a problem but I didn't release my iron grip around the watchtower. That couldn't have been it; that had to be just the beginning.

I was right. The waves fought against our right side, shoving the ship away from open waters. I slowly peered to my left and all I could do was gasp. A bigger rock stared me in the face. I could hear someone shouting below but I only had eyes for the huge chuck of stone sitting beside us. And how we were being thrown at it.

We rammed against it, more force than last time. I could hear more screeching from rock against metal. I still had no idea if this second time pierced another hole into the _Venture's_ side.

I glanced down and saw everyone was now flung against the railings. Some of the people below were close enough to the rock, if they stretched out far enough, they could feel it. Jimmy and I were scrambling away from it, as the _Venture_ was on her side and the rock was mere feet away from us.

I could have reached out and touched it myself. Even leap onto it if I wanted.

Jimmy was gasping for air as he held onto the other side's metal bars. I flung myself next to him, placing one hand on top of his and my other one gripping the bar to my right. I gawked at the dark blue-grey rock.

The boat swayed for a second, groaned and then merely floated with the sudden gentle waves. The fog immediately started to clear up and the sun started to shine; it was morning. I looked around, my eyes resting on the island in front of us. It was full of dark colors and the water lapped at the island's feet.

Skull Island, we have arrived.

I dropped my hand from Jimmy's as we collapsed to lean against the bars. He was panting and I was too but I stared below us. Everyone was coming out of their hiding spots, racing towards one area of the boat. Many of the crew started to disappear down below. The rocks had ripped out the _Venture_. Suddenly, I was flying and slipping down to the deck.

"Lou!" Jimmy shouted, but I ignored him. I landed hard on the deck; right on my bottom and the lower part of my back but ignored the sudden pains from the collapse. I scrambled up, holding my hat to my head and raced towards the stairs that lead to the hole.

The water already was flooding the area and on me, it was just about at my ankles. I waded through the water, soaking my feet and bottom pants legs. I gave an extra shove to help plug a chair into the gaping hole. Apparently, the crewmen couldn't find enough furniture and other things to plug up the whole. So I volunteered immediately to be used to cover up a part. I immediately was able to block a decent amount of the hole but I was soaked to the bone in seconds. Every time the guys found a piece of furniture or boxes or whatever they could possibly get their hands on, they put it where I stood. Then I moved to another spot.

I gasped as a giant wave of water flooded over me just as I was inhaling. I coughed and sputtered, wiping the water away from my face with a jerky swipe. I saw Me. Hayes somewhat directing the flow of the covering. I heard clambering of heavy footsteps racing down the metal stairs. I glanced up, unable to see anything through my watering eyes. The salt water stung bitterly in them and I knew they would be bloodshot for a while.

They shouted something and I could barely make out more than a few words; the water was rushing in to fast and it flooded my ears. I shook my head, feeling my hat fly off my head. But no one paid any notice; everyone was directed on saving the ship.

"Captain!" Jimmy's shout grew louder as he came down the ladder, facing them. He glanced at me, his eyes widening before he turned to Captain Englehorn and Mr. Hayes.

"You better come up quick!" He shouted before he raced up the ladder. Captain Englehorn followed him just as quick; Mr. Hayes motioned for me to come. I leapt from the thing, propelling myself to the metal bars. Everything was slippery to my hands and I barely could get a good gripe on the metal bars to pull myself up.

I raced after them, slowing down to see Jimmy, Captain Englehorn and Mr. Hayes round a corner. I followed them, quickly peering around the corner. My mouth opened with a pop.

Jimmy pointed towards the water and said, "Right there!"


	9. It's Not An Adventure

**EDIT:** I HAVE PUT A NEW POLL UP- hopefully it'll be more understanding than the last one. Please vote now- and I'm so sorry for the inconvience to the people who have already voted! It just seemed that people were confused, that's all... so **Please Vote Now!** (Just a little clicks to my profile, a click here and there on that and you're done- then you can come back here and read my chapter!)

I think there may be some misunderstanding with the Poll... okay, when I mean 'convert' I mean is that, it's the same exact plotline, all the same lines (for all including Lucy), same people, same place... same EVERYTHING... but in Jimmy's Point Of View.  
So finding Lucy- in Jimmy's POV.  
Reading together in the dark- Jimmy's POV.  
That adorable kiss that made you (and me as I wrote it) swell up with warm fuzzies- in Jimmy's POV.  
Yeah, I hope that clears things up... and if you wish to revote, I'll redo the poll! But I respect if you don't so... yeah, leave what you think in your review!

I also updated my update on my profile:P Beware, this is a short chapter compared to my others (whom have mostly been more than 2000+)! But I'll update Thursday (unless I spoil you guys and update tomorrow and Thursday!Hehe:D) then probably won't update till... uh, Saturday? I don't know^^ Anyways, enjoy!

**Thank you to JaniaZekk621 & Mindy Morganna for reviewing the last chapter! Also, thank you to any readers out there! Don't be afraid to leave a review but no flames, thank you!) Thanks again!**

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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The _Venture_ lay on her side like a wounded animal, which she was. That puncture was a one giant problem. I stared at the dark waters crashing gently against the dark rocks surrounding us and against the ship. The water hadn't calmed down, that's for sure. But in the middle of the hell ocean, a small boat rocked in it.

"Carl," I snarled behind them but nether man turned to face me. We all stood gawking at the little boat. It looked like it was about to tilt over any second now. I had a very good guess upon who was on that little boat. But I didn't speak that out loud.

I wanted to yell and shout, to make them turn back and come back. But I was frozen to the spot, holding my tongue. I'd do it too, if Captain Englehorn gave the call to go after them. For the most part, I wouldn't like it because this move was greatly irresponsible and plain stupid. But Jack, Ann and even the rest of them, shouldn't die because of Carl's stupid mistakes.

"Want me to bring them back?" Mr. Hayes spoke.

Jimmy and I hovered around the stairs going up to the captain's room, staring at the two men. I knew Jimmy had to feel relatively similar to what I was; what he was feeling exactly I couldn't read on his face. I let my glaze wander back to Captain Englehorn.

"I don't give a damn about Carl Denham!"

The captain's voice was rough and blunt. I predicted this, I thought. I knew he wouldn't care if Carl and the others left. In some ways that was good, it was their choice to go out there. Carl lied to us and we believed him; till a couple of days ago, that is. Why should we care if he gets himself killed?

"I want this ship fixed and ready to float by the next high tide!" Captain Englehorn started to walk away, fury and frustration plain on his face. I turned back to stare at the sea.

"Come on! Move it!" Captain Englehorn barked his orders.

"We're leaving, Mr. Hayes." His tone was full of authority and I knew I wasn't about to disobey this man. I slowly unattached myself from the stairs and watched Mr. Hayes follow Captain Englehorn.

I don't think I could take the guilt that would undoubtedly come if we do leave Carl and the rest of them to die. I wouldn't be able to bear seeing their faces in my nightmares and imagine a hundred different ways that I could have saved them or at least, died trying. I wasn't that type of person and I don't plan on becoming one. But could the captain merely be acting out of anger, and not logic? It's possible. After all, he must have learned something quite upsetting a few hours ago.

Did I agree with Captain Enlgehorn? No. No, I did not.

"Someone should have gone after them," I whispered as I walked over to Jimmy.

"Yeah," was all that I got before we turned back and started to head towards the hole down below.

I wandered around the ship, helping as much as I could. For physical labor, I was strong for a girl. That's about it and compared to everyone on here, I was useless in that category. So I merely hovered around, ready if someone needed a small hand or logically mind. But fixing a gash in the side of the boat didn't need much of that. After a while, I was chased away for being a bit of a pest and I wandered up to the deck.

I found Jimmy sitting on the ground, peering at his book with a small frown. Mr. Hayes was glazing off towards the ocean, lost in his own thoughts. I stopped and pulled myself away from the corner.

They were at peace for moment; I wasn't about to be that person to break it up. I turned around, about to step forward when Jimmy speaks up. Not to me, they didn't see me. He spoke to Mr. Hayes in a small voice.

"Why does Milo keep going up the river? Why doesn't he turn back?" I froze, unable to move my feet and leave.

"There's a part of him that wants to, Jimmy. A part deep inside himself that sounds a warning."

I shivered and lifted my glaze from the ground to the sea. I couldn't see the little boat now but I could picture it landing. The people in it taking the first steps onto the island. I shivered again and I took a silent step forward. But they began to speak again in quiet tones.

"But there is another part that needs to go. To defeat the danger that makes him afraid." There was another pause and Mr. Hayes spoke in a very tiny whisper. I listened.

"We could not understand because we were too far and could not remember because we were traveling in the night of first ages, of those ages that are gone, leaving hardly a sign - and no memories. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there - there you could look at a thing monstrous and free."

I slowly inched over to the wall and leaned to steady myself. I took a deep breath, remembering that I had just forgotten to breathe that moment. My head felt lightheaded for moment but I closed my eyes.

I could feel the gentle waves rocking the ship, none of the anger from before there anymore. I thought I could hear the shouts, the orders and the footsteps below of the crewmen fixing the ship. Something I could not help with. I opened my eyes sadly; realizing my running away was a complete mistake.

To mysterious disappear into the night, leaving only four people knowing where I had been last seen. It was stupid to climb aboard a ship I didn't even have the right location in my mind. Oh, how greatly, terribly stupid of me.

Mother probably panicked as soon as she found an empty bed. Father probably felt too proud to call the police in the beginning; he may have some workers go out and look, maybe he'd even go out himself. Then he would come back empty handed and challenge Louie, his normal blank eyes in a wild frenzy. Louie would lie for me, though it hurt him to do so. Everything stable at home would be unsettled and destroyed because of my stupid urge for freedom.

And now I probably can't even keep my promise to my brother. The memory of years back, the memory when I was nine and in Louie's room, flashed back in my head.

"_Promise you what?" I whispered, just as quietly, back to him. I knew my face looked too eager to hear another little secret._

"_You'd have to promise me to come back." He whispered, giving me a weak and sad smile. I returned a much brighter one to him and wrapped my thin arms around him, giving him a hearty squeeze._

I felt my throat suddenly close up and the first few tears roll down my cheeks. I felt one roll right off my nose and I watched them as they fell against the wood. They disappeared immediately when they did. But before they could start flowing uncontrollably, I rubbed my nose and wiped the rest away from my rest. I jutted my chin out stubbornly and refused the rest of the tears ever to be let out. I made myself stay in the spot I stood and listened on the two men again.

"It's not an adventure story. Is it, Mr. Hayes?" Jimmy asked quietly.

"No, Jimmy. It's not." He answered, his voice roughening at the end for some reason.

I walked away numbly, wondering if I could stop being the wrong place and at the wrong time. I glazed back at the sea, my stare turning gradually into a glare. We should just leave them and let them take care of themselves. We could easily get out of here without them and say they fell off in the storm we hit. We had the damage to show there was a terrible storm and many people would believe us.

But I sighed unhappily at my angry and bitter thoughts. I continued on walking, my shoulders slouched and my head bowed low.

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**Review please?**


	10. Natives Of Skull Island

**Thank you to JaniaZekk621, Mindy Morganna, & HeeHeeHee01 for reviewing ! Also, thank you to any readers out there! Don't be afraid to leave a review!**

I feel like a complete idiot:P I know, I know- to anyone whom checked my profile for my supposed poll... sorry! I completely forgot to put it on my profile but now it's up! Go vote! But I would understand if you didn't... I know, I got pretty annoyingXD Once again, sorry!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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I was still walking mutely down the deck when I suddenly heard it.

It froze my blood and my heart skipped a frantic beat. This loud roar echoed from the island and I knew even down below, every crewman could hear it. I started to tremble in fright, despite all my self-pride from a moment ago.

I tore back to Mr. Hayes and Jimmy, whipping to face the island. I felt a bit safer with them in sight but not by much. I could feel Jimmy inch closer to me as we all stared at the island.

"What was that?" My voice was barely above a whisper. I got no reply.

xxx

We are going to die. We are going to die- they're already gone. We came here for nothing. We should go back!

The wild, frightened thoughts replayed in my mind over and over. Captain Englehorn led the charge above us and I was in the way back, practically holding Jimmy's hand in front of all the men. But I kept my hands in clenched fists as I charged with the group.

We crept silently up the rocks, scaling through the tunnels and we came to the opening. My eyes widened at the sight in front of me. I took in a sharp breath as I gawked at it.

Two men lay dead on the ground, one of the crewmen of the _Venture_. His head was smashed in on the side and there were jagged punctures where something sharp punctured his skull. Fresh blood still oozed from the wounds.

The other man was Mike, Carl's soundman. Through the middle of his gut, a bloody and roughly made spear held. It was covered in blood, along with most of his shirt. He lay, dead, on the ground. Limp and lifeless; I started to tremble and I felt sick. But no bile, no scream, nothing came from my throat. I was speechless.

There were shouts of another language from the dark-skinned natives. I stared as I saw a tall man, I believe, stood above Carl. His head was being held against a rock and I realized what was happening. The tall native held this crudely made club and it had points, much similar to the crewman's fractured skull. Something dripped from it and every from here, I knew it wasn't rain. I felt my eyes widened in shock when Captain Englehorn fired the first shot.

He hit the man directly and he fired again… then again and again once more. He fired at least four or five times before the crew and I flooded the area. We glanced around wildly as the natives raced away. The crewmen clutched their guns closely and I remembered gratefully, that Captain Englehorn hadn't given me one. I had no clue beyond how to pull the trigger and that's if I would have the nerve to shoot and fire at another human being.

There were screams and shouts and terrified calls erupted from the large group of people. All these sounds were almost inhuman. I shivered again, throwing my glaze to the stone. I could hear the crewmen walking around, but stayed in a semicircle of protection.

Carl was let go and rolled to the ground, slowly looking at us. I slowly looked up, seeing Jack lying on the ground. Another crewman was shaking him roughly and for a moment of pure hysteria, I thought he was dead. But his chest rose feebly and I realized he was just knocked unconscious.

"Seen enough?" Captain Englehorn said roughly.

I was silent as we went back to the ship; practically flying we were running and scrambling so fast. A great, huge storm was brewing above us and the rain only became harder. The ocean was angry once more. As if because we disturbed it's slumber and people on the island. I shook the morbid thoughts away but I couldn't shake the sense of dread and fright away.

Once we were back on the ship, Captain Enlgehorn immediately barked orders.

"Tighten the ship!" he shouted.

I stood near him, gripping the railing with all my might. A giant wave crashed over us and soaked us once more. I was lucky enough that Jimmy had a spare rain jacket. Though the jacket didn't keep me dry as long as I had hoped. I could barely get any footing on the slippery wood and merely clung on the railings.

I was useless yet again.

"Anything not bolted down goes overboard!" He shouted once again. There were many "Yes sir" or "Yes captain" that they all blended into a giant muffle of voices. Or maybe that was just the water in my ears.

"Get inside Lou!" He yelled to me and I nodded, closing my eyes, as another large wave was able to crash over us. I threw myself inside the nearest room, to find it occupied by the men we just rescued.

"We got away. We've gotta be thankful for that, gentlemen." Carl Denham said as I came in. He took a giant swig of a small, flat bottle and I only could guess it wasn't water. I made a face but shielded it from Denham before he could notice.

"What about Mike? He didn't get away! He's still there!" Preston cried in anger.

I tilted my head slightly as Carl was about to answer. The words went through my ears like they were slathered with honey; they held no mean whatsoever. I decided I wasn't about to sit around and be useless. I decided to find Jack, since I have yet to see where the crew dumped him. I stood up and slipped out back into the storm.

Lucky for me, Captain Englehorn or Mr. Hayes weren't out and I was free to wander to look for Jack. I slipped past and through the giant crowd of men, rushing back and fro with loose language of all sorts. I thought I saw Jimmy once or twice but many of the men looked all the same with their rain jacket hats covering their faces and their jackets all flapped wildly in the breeze. But I did see a flash of Lumpy's apron and immediately started to rush to the kitchen.

I entered the room just as Lumpy was picking up giant pots and buckets of things and tossing them out.

"Didn't the captain send you in?" He asked as he swooped back into the kitchen and came back with more. One was a small tub and halfway filled with water. I didn't answer; I didn't want to. But Lumpy looked me in the eye and I knew I had to.

"Yes sir… but I'm not that useless! I decided to find Jack…" My voice trailed off as I noticed the grown man lying on two small tables. I raised my eyebrows and Lumpy chuckled dryly, coming back the third time with a small handful of pans.

"What a wonderful spot! Who picked it out?" I mumbled halfheartedly as I walked in the room. The same time as two other crewmembers came in with Lumpy and they woke him, then shoved him off the table with other little things that were sitting on it.

"Excuse me, Shakespeare," he said and I saw them pick up one of the tables. Lumpy and two other men easily lifted it and I slid out of the way as they tossed it overboard. I rushed over to Jack's side as he staggered upward. One his fingers was a little splotched blood. I did my best to ignore it.

"Are you okay?" I asked in whispers, using my male voice.

He merely looked at me with tired eyes and I shrugged, trying not to think of seeing him lying unconscious on the Island. I heard more shouts and I glanced over my shoulder, frowning. We have had to toss everything out by now!

"Jack- where did you go?" I muttered, realizing that he was no longer behind me. I frowned but then sighed, deciding to follow him. I glanced around to see if Lumpy was coming back to get me and then followed after Jack silently.

He staggered out of the doorway and just as I was passing through, another wave crashed upon us. I closed my mouth in time and clung to doorframe as it attacked us and then resided back from where it came. Jack had ended up clinging to a small mound of metal or rope; I couldn't see straight in the darkness and the salt water stinging my eyes did not help me much.

I could him gasping and I let myself have a small chuckle. I could hear faint shouts echoing throughout the boat; the crew was still searching for more things to get rid off. I still don't know where they're getting all these things but then again, I only had wandered through the obvious rooms with Jimmy. The nooks and crannies of the ship I still had to see.

I half walked, half slid over to Jack and tugged on his arm.

"Unless you're waiting for the next wave to come by- what's that?"

In his hand was a crude necklace. No, I wouldn't call it a necklace. On a string, there were giant dark brown beads of some sort. In the middle, as if a precious gemstone, was a small skull. It wasn't big enough to be human so I assumed it must have been some type of bird or lizard. I repeated my question and Jack's hand only tightened around the thing. Then he threw it down violently and took off.

"Wait!" I cried after him but my voice was drowned out in the winds as another wave crashed. I fell to the ground with a gasp, holding down my hat, as I took in a bucketful of water. Still coughing and gasping for air, I tore after him. I whipped around a corner to see his shirt flash through the crowd. I grinded my teeth angrily and tried to race after him.

But the boat gave a violent rock and I was thrown against the wooden railing. I thought I heard my name being said, my real name and I looked up. A soaking-wet Jimmy stared at me, his eyes half angry and half shocked to see me out in the storm.

"Have you seen Jack?" I tried to say above the winds.

"What? Yeah, he just-" he jerked a thumb over his shoulder and I took off again.

I thought I could hear "Louie" being called but I took no notice. That necklace sent shivers down my spine and I had no idea why it was sending normally levelheaded Jack into a panicked frenzy.

I raced through half the boat, trying to keep up with Jack and not to fall down. I came into the tight, small hallways by the cabins. I looked up, wiping away my hair away from my face and was still relieved that my hat stuck to my head despite all the waves and winds. He slid past the man and I called out again. He merely glanced at me before disappearing around a corner.

I slid under the dresser, muttering, "Excuse me, sirs" to the men. A small grunt from one of them was all I got as a response.

"Jack!" I hissed as I slid and run into a wall.

It was a hard impact and for a second, I felt light headed and faint. But I shook it off to see him running away and then slipped on the ground, ramming into the wall. Taking up the chance to catch him, I threw myself at him. I was able to steady myself before I grabbed at him and tugged him up as fast as I could.

Suddenly, the _Venture_ rocked violently and I was thrown against the wall. Suddenly, I could feel the difference in the swaying of the boat and knew we were free. Muffled shouts from outside confirmed my guess. A small smile came over my face for a moment before I turned my attention back to Jack.

"Jack!" I hissed again but he had no ears for me.

I glared at him until my angry stare became a frown and I followed his eyes. Ann's cabin door swung open to a destroyed and damaged room. My mouth fell down with a pop as I gawked at it. Jack started to move again, completely ignoring me. I regained control of myself and stumbled and slid after him.

After glancing around the room behind him, he rushed out. I stood there, in her room, for one moment longer. I glazed at the clothing, furniture and everything on the floor. Things were ripped, torn, broken and shredded beyond any rescue. Shaking off a feeling of dread, I called after Jack and staggered out of the room.

I rounded the corner only to fall straight on my back. I groaned, rolling to my left side and pushing myself up. Unable to control my reaction, a scream escaped my throats in a desperate cry.

A dead man, one of our crewmen, lay on the floor. A fairly large puddle of blood surrounded his shoulders and under his head. I squeaked again before I grabbed the wall to hold myself up. I knew someone had heard my scream and I thought I could hear heavy footsteps.

I scrambled up the stairs, gripping the wooden railing tightly as I tried to figure out where Jack went. I could feel the color drain from my face, leaving it ghostly pale. If anyone saw my face like this, Captain Englehorn or Jimmy, they knew something was terribly wrong. I came up to the deck, where I saw two giant walls of rock pass slowly by us. My eyes widen in terror as I heard Jack's cries.

"Stop! Turn back!" I wasn't the only one. Many of the men turned to look at the cold man, whom was shoving his way through the crowd. I heard him yell out again, "Stop!" and knew exactly where he was heading.

"Excuse me," I whispered to the men, who made a slight pathway as I followed the man. I turned to corner to find the rest of crew staring at him. He climbed a few more stairs before he stopped. Jack stood halfway from the bottom of the stairs, each hand gripping it's only railing. Captain Englehorn stood above us, his face tired and weary.

"Turn back!" his voice was rough and hoarse from shouting.

"They've taken Ann." His voice was suddenly weak but still tired and hoarse.

I closed my hands and clenched my hands into fists. My feeling of dread I had forgotten for a moment, returned at a greater intensity. I could picture Ann being dragged through the water, struggling the whole time and water filling her lungs. The people would drag her back, roughly and violently. She would be alone on that island and I had only the small idea of what those people may do to her. I realized everyone kind of made a small circle forming around me, but there was a yard apart from them and me.

"What's on your shirt Lou?" Jimmy's quiet voice was suddenly wary.

My eyes flew open and I remembered the dead man.

"There's a man… down below… dead… I-I fell in his blood…" I refused to start trembling so I fought the urge to begin doing so. I stared at the ground before raising my head.

"We have to rescue her," my almost mute voice could be easily heard in the silent crowd. No one dare come near me and I stood alone, sticking out like a sore thumb. A bloodstained, ghost-face thumb surrounded with slightly panicked men. Captain Englehorn stared at me, then at Jack. Then he gave the slightest of nods and the crew immediately begun to scramble. I tore off to the cages, catching into fresh clothing in my fastest time yet. I was pulling on my hat when Jimmy came down.

"Come on!" He called and I stared at him. He looked scared for Ann and I knew I looked the same. I probably looked almost dead though; the thought of my bloodstained clothing made me almost whimper in desperation. This is not the adventure I asked for.

"Right," I whispered and came up after him.


	11. Failed Rescue

Here's the update! GAh, I know, I think I remember that I left a cliff hanger on the end of the last chapter.... . I'm a terrible author if I don't remember D8 Sorry, been busy watching movies, school and deciding should I write a OC/Bolt or a OC?Pyro or a Nightcrawler & OC friendship story... Grr -.-' I'm not too happy with myself at the moment- I normally don't have this much of a problem writing. And I just remembered my practically abandondened Jumper storyD8

Anyways! I'm double posting today cause I feel like it!

**A big thanks to JainaZekk621! I can't possibly be the best story here- or in this catorgory- but your reviews really make me feel better and I can't thank you enough for all your reviews! Thank you to anyone who voted!** I may just take the poll down... cause I'm deciding maybe I should do it in Jimmy's POV... clear my head and work on my other ideas... since I have an original idea that I think can be really good... or really bad.... but I'm gonna put in 110%-

ahh... I'm rambling^.^ Enjoy the story!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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The crew raced around like a group of startled children. I was at lost as they scrambled around and I felt like screaming. This was too much for me… far too much anymore. Then I started to realize what they were grabbing.

I never knew Captain Englehorn purchased so many weapons. The guns flooded out of their hiding spots like the water, only minutes ago, flooding into our ship. I couldn't tell what type or kind what they were but ether way, they didn't look friendly at all. I was shoved to the two white boats on the side of the Venture. I stood there for a moment before I was pressed to help pack.

I silently obeyed.

My hands were shaky as they took hold of the guns but I immediately passed them to a crewman standing in the boats. They loaded them quickly and I noticed I seemed to be the only one who had no clue what to do with these things. I wondered if Jimmy was the same; I hadn't seen him since we came back up on the deck. Suddenly, I was pulled roughly on the arm and into a small, secluded spot.

A wild-eyed Captain Englehorn had thrown me to the side. He shoved a small brown triangular shape into my hand and I realized what it was. A knife. A bloody sharp, dangerous, killing knife.

"Sir… I-I…" I couldn't speak; the words couldn't escape my throat.

"You can't shoot," I wasn't surprised that he guessed that already; I was pretty sure I was starting to wonder even if the crewmen noticed my nervousness around the guns; obviously, Captain Englehorn hadn't missed that.

"And I will not let you go unarmed." He said roughly.

"Sir, I have no idea how to use this," I hissed but I grasped the knife tightly. He looked me over before he said, "You'll know how when the time comes." Before he disappeared back into the crowd of men. I growled but clutched the knife still.

I attached it to my belt, covering it with my jacket and resumed helping load the boat I was assigned to. My eyes wandered to the other small vessel and I saw Carl beckon Preston over. They put a few cameras next to the guns and I saw Preston swing a fairly large box onto it.

It read "Carl Denham Pictures" and I turned back to helping when Carl glanced my way. I saw a different batch of guns make our way and I slipped away from the boats easily. I was grabbed and pushed towards the ropes; I was use to them just taking advantage of my smallness and just directing to where I'm suppose to go.

I gripped the slipper ropes as I saw the last things get packed and I started to pull downward, bringing the boat up. I couldn't get a grasp on the rope but I wasn't alone; every other man who was doing the same thing had his hands slipping and sliding off. I helped shove the boat over the water and we lowered it.

We climbed in quickly and I was directed to sit in front of Captain Englehorn's ship. Because of my no upper arm strength, even barely helping pull up the ropes made my small batch of muscles whimper in pain, I was useless in rowing the boat. But I took up an oar anyway and started. Jimmy shot me a glare but I ignored him. I wasn't about to sit there like Jack. I was part of this crew and had every right to help.

The water clawed at our boats, always threatening to tip us over. I gulped nervously as I glazed at the dark water before turning my glaze to look at the white bottom of the boat. Sometimes the front rose up and crashed back down, splashing us with large amounts of water. Sometimes the waves came from the back and made us seem like we were going backwards. I was getting dizzy from trying to think where all these waves were coming from.

Mr. Hayes' boat was a few yards behind us and I kept a good eye on it, staring across the water once in a while. The men on there looked like they were struggling with the fighting waters the same amount as we were. I felt a ripple of uselessness come over me. I was probably slowing them down even more than helping. But instead of feeling self-pity, a stubborn fire suddenly flared. I paddled harder, pushing my muscles beyond the limits I thought I could pass. They would be sore by the time we reached the island.

I glanced over my shoulder at the island. I squinted and stared at it, my rowing faltering for a second. I thought I could see red smoke rising from above… but I heard a shout and wasn't sure if it was directed at me, so I started up again. I glanced over again, keeping up the same pace now. Yes, there was definitely red smoke pillaring away from the island.

We landed and as soon the boat touched the dirt, Jack was off racing. I was up and following him before any of the other men. I scrambled around, groping out to feel my way through the tunnels without any light. I let Jack's footsteps ahead of me guide me slightly and the sense of ever growing fear. As that became bigger and bigger, I knew we were heading in the right direction.

What are they doing her? Why did they want her in first the place? Oh why, oh why are we heading towards the danger? My logical, academic mind was trying to figure out a suitable reason for all of this. A great mistake on my part, begun it. Maybe I was always destined to do this; join some crazed adventure full of greedy movie directors, stuttering assistants, a couple fallen in love and don't forget the betrayed crew.

Oh yes, a runaway girl disguised as a boy, fits perfectly in with this adventure.

We flooded back into the Native's village. Jack's cries for, "Find her! Find her!" echoed in my ears. I resisted the urge to cover them and race back to the ship, hoping to forget all of this. But I glazed at the giant pits of fire on their wall; I knew there was no going back.

The men started to fire their weapons and I hovered at the back of the crowd as they stormed through. I could see fleeing Natives, as they were frightened to of the tommyguns. They frightened me too and I covered my head with my arms when the first rounds were being shot. But my ears became accustomed to the noise and I started to tread after Jimmy.

"Jimmy, take up there!" Mr. Hayes' order and Jimmy started to jog in the direction he pointed, me following him like a scared puppy. Captain Englehorn shouted other commands to the men and I had no clue what he was saying. My mind was just beginning flooded with so much noise, so much desperation and fear, I could barely think straight. Like which is my left hand and which is my right; it was all forgotten and I realized this is what it felt like to be truly scared.

Or darn near close to it! The thought of being even more terrified sent a shiver through my body. It's best not to think those thoughts anymore.

Seeing Jimmy just carry one of those guns, let alone fire it, made me absolutely terrified all over again and I scrambled to find Jack. I followed him through a crack between the rocks and hovered behind him like his shadow when he stopped.

"Ann!" shouted him and we were moving again.

"She's gotta be here somewhere!" Mr. Hayes' voice reached my ears and I gave a mute nod. Then it came; I took a few shaky steps forward in awe before I stopped. I was closer to Captain Englehorn now.

It was a giant roar and it mimicked the one we had heard on the ship. It was louder, fiercer and closer. I trembled for a second before I regained enough control of my body just to have my hands shake wildly.

"What in gods' name was that?" Captain Englehorn whispered quietly. Everyone stopped now and turned to face the wall. Some of them had frowns on their faces and others were frozen and rooted to their spot. But we all glazed at the same, one thing: the Wall.

Another cry came but it wasn't the creatures. It was a shrill, very high-pitched scream from a woman. Ann… I gawked at the Wall for a moment before people started to realize where it came from.

"Behind the wall!" Jack shouted and ran past us.

I reached for him and only felt my fingertips brush his jacket in an attempt to stop him. I merely grinded my teeth in fury and raced after him. It was like the ship all over again. He raced up this wooden ramp of some sort and I was right behind him, legs outstretched as they possibly could. He called out behind the wall again and I pushed myself harder. I heard a muffled, heavier set of footsteps behind me. I glanced over my shoulder for the smaller of the second and saw Carl trying to keep up with us.

The thought of the plump man running to keep up with lean Jack and me made me blissfully and stupidly happy for a second. Then as soon as it came, it faded away and I remembered where I was and why I was here.

Two sets of stone stairs stood my left and right. Jack didn't even hesitate to start running up the left set of stairs. He flew up them with giant leaps and I slid to stop, staring at him. Carl shoved his way past me and I staggered, barely able to keep my balance. He raced towards the door of some type between the stairs.

I shot him a dirty look before I started to race up the stairs. I took them far slower than what Jack did; my confidence in my ability to go up these accursed things without falling was slim. I gradually started to climb with my hands too, the stairs becoming way too steep for me to race up with just my feet. I reached the top, gasping for my breath. I took a second breather before I realized what was in front of us.

Jack stood a few yards away from me, panting and out of breath too. No screaming Ann or monstrous creature was to meet us. Just the hot, sticky air from the lava and fire flowing around us was there. I glanced down, seeing through the thin cracks of the wood, where the lava was all going. I started to sweat immediately and ripped off my hat in fury and crushed it between my hands.

The fury started to twist in my stomach and at first; I thought I was going to be able to control it. But it boiled over like water left in a pot unattended. I whipped around, smashing my hat back on my head. I stormed over to the stairs, grinding my teeth in anger. She was there a second ago, I swear! She screeched not less than five minutes ago and now she's gone!

I wanted to scream, to raise my voice in anger and desperation. The sudden anger started to dull into a small fire and I became cold and numb inside, feeling depression starting to sink int. Screaming and crying wouldn't help me at all; Ann's gone and there's nothing for us left here. It would be better for us to get out of here as quick as possible. But when I glanced over my slouched shoulders, Jack didn't look like he was giving up like me.

He looked shocked, scared and determined.

I was about to call to him when I suddenly felt no stable ground below me. My foot had stepped onto air and before I could catch myself, I was falling down the stone stairs. I could feel my arms, back and legs smash against the rock. I tried to stop myself with my hands and I was lucky enough not to have either my wrists snap or break. I merely felt the flesh on them be skinned down to the soft, sore and pink skin underneath. I immediately pulled them back and I covered my heads as I rolled down the stairs, hearing shouts. I hit the ground with a heavy thud and a gasp of air that rushed out of my lungs.

"Lucy!"

There was a desperate cry as I staggered up, the world blending into shades of grey. I tried to walk, taking a shaky step forward but my knees threatened to collapse under my weight and I told myself to stand still for a moment. Someone was gripping my arm in desperation to help my stand still. I didn't realize I was swaying. I bit down on my lip, my eyes still squeezed tight.

I felt the world even itself out and I opened my eyes.

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**Review please?**


	12. No Longer A Secret

I promised a double post today- here's the second part! YAY:D Okay, I couldn't resist having Lucy (whom is making her way to the top of my fave OC's I've made) spazz... you'll understand once you read this chapter!

I know I didn't give a lot of time for anyone to review but **Thanks to Mindy Morganna for reviewing- you rock! **I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying it^^  
**HeeHeeHee01- I'm so sorry I didn't put you in here! I didn't get your review till a second ago and I... I'm sorry again! Thank you for your reviews** and yes, sh!t there goes Lucy's cover!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Jack had just came down his set of stairs and shouted, "She's gone!"

There was utter silence that sliced through the crew. They glanced nervously at each other, wondering what to do next. Go after her in this cursed island, not knowing what to expect? Or turn and flee back to the ship, hoping to save what's rest of them? I still was wondering what I would do when I realized that some of them were staring at me.

My hand flew to my head and didn't feel my hat. I dropped my hand numbly and raised my eyes to my crewmen.

"Haven't you ever seen a girl before?" I said, staring back at them. There was no turning back now; I had to tell them now that my hat couldn't cover my growing hair. I stared dimly at my rubbed raw hands as there were growing murmurs and angry mutters. I felt something wet roll down my face and my hand flew to it, but it wasn't water. I pulled back my hand in disgust as I saw a few drops of red sitting on it.

I quickly pressed my sleeve to the small slice and held it there. I was barely aware of Jimmy hovering next to me. My secret was out in the open and with Ann's disappearance and failed rescue, this was a lot for the men to take in.

"You okay?" Jimmy whispered softly to me. I nodded solemnly.

"I'm fine," I sighed, trying to convince myself too.

"Enough!" Captain Englehorn called order over the men and silence came once more. He glazed back at me and my hand slid to where my knife securely hung from my belt. I was glad that didn't fall off, knowing I wouldn't like it if suddenly a boy I knew turned out to be girl, thus lying to me, and also learn she carried a knife.

"Lou," he avoided using my real name and I appreciated that, "has worked besides you for weeks, just as hard as any of you. You best show her some respect!"

A few men glazed warily at me, as if wondering if I was hiding anything else. I wouldn't dare accuse them of being overcautious; I would have done the same thing. Everyone accepted the fact quickly and I heard Jack say something.

"Carl? What is it?" I glazed as the man walked from the door, halting and panting as if he ran the whole way. Jack stared at him.

"You saw something," everyone's head snapped to Jack and Carl.

Carl's eyes were distant and his face was pale. It took him a moment to focus in on Jack. He didn't say anything. His eyes wandered over to me and I glared at him. Carl quickly shifted his glaze away from me and focused back on Jack. I tried to ignore them the best I could, slowly wiping my hands on my soaked pants. The coolness of the wet fabric soothed my hands slightly and I knew they would be stinging for a long time. I noticed Jimmy's sympathetic glaze linger on them and he shot me a concerned look.

I shrugged. It couldn't be that bad compared to rope burn but as I glazed at the ruffled skin, some of it sitting in little clumps around where it was rubbed practically right off and how pink and tender the skin was underneath, I took the thought back. No, this is quite worse.

"What did you see?" I spoke up, raising my head confidently and turned to Carl. He merely glazed at me and a red rage came over me. I tore away from me, slinking over to me. I was merely an inch away from his chest, glaring at him.

"What did you see?" I asked through clenched teeth. He merely narrowed his eyes into a nasty, hateful glare.

"Fine, Mr. Denham!" I spat in his face. I heard Jimmy's whispers to me; to leave Carl alone and Jimmy's small tugging on my shirtsleeve. But both were very weak and no one else was trying to stop me. So I took it no one was going to stop me and continued on.

"Fine, keep your mouth shut! But let me tell you something!" I jammed my finger against his chest and stared him right in the eye.

"Every man in this damn crew," it was my first time swearing, "that dies- it'll be your fault!" I jammed my finger against his chest again and continued.

"It's your fault we almost died out at sea! It's your fault that we happened to land on this godforsaken island and it's your fault that Ann was brought here in the first place! It's because of you that she was snatched away all for your filthy, bloody movie!"

I could feel all this rage pouring into these words and everything was quiet for a moment. Carl Denham stared blankly at me. Jimmy's tugging became stronger but I swatted his hand away.

"And one more thing, Mr. Denham," I growled in his face.

"If we should every need to toss one man out to save the rest, you'll be the first if I had to choose. If you were clinging from a cliff and calling for help, you'll know one person isn't coming to your rescue! It's your fault, all your fault!" I snarled angry and I felt myself being literally dragged away from him.

I struggled against the strong hands grasping my shirt, almost wildly flailing around like a demon animal. I screeched at Carl, shoving and trying to tear off the iron hands.

"Every person wounded, it's your fault! Every man that disappears in the night or down a dark abyss- it's your fault! And, if so god help you, every child or wife or sister or mother gone without sleep because of weeping all night long because her son or husband or father didn't come home- it'll be your fault! Every death on this goddamn island is your fault!" I was finally let go and I scrambled up.

I thought I could hear my name being whispered by Jimmy, who could have been standing next to me, but I shook it off. I stormed away, the fury and hatred for the man behind me, pouring into every step I took. I wasn't about to go on the rescue mission if he was going. I wasn't about to go anywhere with that man. I started to enter the tunnel when I heard my name again.

"Lucy." Captain Englehorn's voice was stern and it only made me falter in my steps. I started to walk again but this time was voice was full of authority.

"Stop." I halted and stared at the ground, grinding my teeth angrily.

I watched the men drop the boxes of ammunition quietly, holding a wet cloth between my two hands tightly. The soothing wetness felt good and I was glad I wasn't asked to help with the ammunition. Quite actually, I had yet to be talked to by any of the other crewmen. Captain Englehorn glanced at me a couple of times from his supervising spot but I paid no attention to him.

I sat on an isolated wet rock, away from everyone else. For that, I was slightly glad for. My little rant seemed to stir up the men, realizing what they could possibly be facing. The thought of not seeing any of them not come back, rose panic in my chest and mind. But I did my best to conceal behind a blank face. But anyone that dared to look me straight in the eye would know what I would be feeling.

I watched the men reload their guns with quick, skilled hands. I started to brand my mind with the process of loading these tommyguns, hoping that I would actually never have to use that information. I was really starting to hate guns the more and more I saw my friends handle them. The mere thought of holding one made my gut twist and turn in a bundle of nerves.

"Are you okay?" Jimmy's worried whisper came to my ears.

I didn't answer; I started to play with the loose string from the piece of fabric between my hands. Having him so close, even on this dark place, still made my heart skip a beat. I nodded and I felt his shoulder bump mine.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… just tired," I mumbled and let my shoulders slouch even more.

I was tired! It had to be at least very early in the morning, since it was still quite dark. The night wasn't alit with the stars and it only reminded me more of the hours of rest I had lost. Though I wouldn't want to miss out on anything happening on the ship, but the thought of having to sleep here on this island frightened me. I only wished for my cage down below and the calming sway of the _Venture_ that lulled me to sleep.

"Okay," he whispered.

I pulled the fabric from my hands, glazing at the pinkness of them. Suddenly, Jimmy's tan hand from being out in the sun, gingerly traced along the lines of where the skin was peeled away on my palm. I silently, and tearfully, tore those off. The dead skin would have fallen off in a more painful manner anyway and I wasn't about to let anyone worry over me getting an infection.

I sucked in a sharp breath and tried not to flinch away but he pulled back when he saw that he wasn't helping.

"Sorry… it just looks… painful?" He wasn't sure if that was the right word.

I gave small dry chuckle and said, "It stings, that all. Nothing that's untreatable."

"Oh," he answered.

"Are you going with them?" I whispered.

I glanced over my shoulder the best I could without actually turning my head; I hoped no one was watching us. I glazed at Jimmy, he stared back and he gave a small nod.

"I plan to. I wanna help find Miss Darrow." He whispered strongly.

"Englehorn wants me to stay back here." I mumbled, a slight irritated note in my voice as I said it.

A sudden thought made me realize what I really wanted; I didn't want to be left behind like a little child. I had survived the Natives, the angry sea and told off Carl when no one else dared. Though the last one probably wasn't really needed, I wasn't about to let Jimmy- or anyone for that matter, though I wouldn't have bothered if Carl was just going- tearing off into the jungle without any female intelligence.

They need me and no matter how hard I tried to hide it, I need every one of them. Captain Englehorn was staying here, so it's not like I was completely alone. He's practically a father to me now but the thought of them spilt into two groups made me panic.

Lumpy for the mere company and happiness that always seemed to come off him; no matter if he can tell really good, scary stories. Mr. Hayes for the protection and maybe the strength too, he seemed to make me feel more confident. Maybe it's just because that's the kind of air that he carries. And then there's Jimmy…

I bit my lip, trying not to say the words in my head.

"I figured that." He answered. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him and he shrugged.

"You don't want me to go." I stated flatly and he shrugged again. We both heard the captain start up and we turned to see him talking.

"We take Mr. Hayes and fifteen others." Captain Englehorn paused as a few men started to load the different type of guns. The brown ones that weren't the machine guns; I had no voice to ask what they were actually called. He was staying with his ship; a good captain always goes down with his ship, as Louie once told me from a story.

Jimmy started to stand up and the panic started to race through my body. I feebly brushed his arm. He gave me a small, weak, pained smile before disappearing in the crowd of men. I sighed, slouching my shoulders. A strong surge of self-confidence made me stand up, pulling my small canvas bag's strap closer to my neck.

"Put a guard on the gate and the rest of you stay with the ship."

I stood up, glazing around. But one long stare from Captain Englehorn made me sit back down with a scowl. But I erased it from my face as I turned to face the direction we came from; my hand slid instinctively to my knife and I tapped my index finger lightly against it. I wanted to go with them; the thought of being alone, besides the captain, without Lumpy or Mr. Hayes or Jimmy, made me nervous for some reason. Maybe it was because half the men staying here were glaring at me.

I bowed my head, ashamed of my stupid, unnecessary worry over these men. They knew more about this than I did; they knew exactly what they were getting into, I hoped. I glazed as the line started to file through the gates and I saw Mr. Hayes pull Jimmy aside.

"Not you Jimmy," Mr. Hayes said.

I immediately heard Jimmy's light footsteps falter. I watched them as the men just went around the two, like nothing was happening. Obviously, this is where Jimmy being the youngest on the ship played in. He practically had to listen to everyone on the ship.

"Come on Mr. Hayes!" Jimmy immediately protested, obviously not pleased to have him pull him aside.

I frowned at them and with a hidden smile behind it; I knew Jimmy wasn't going. No matter how much he felt like he had to rescue Ann, I felt selfishly happy I wasn't staying here without any of my dearest friends on this ship.

"Look at them! None of them look like they can point a gun," he defended himself.

I sniffed, rubbing my nose innocently as I turned back to face the tunnel. Is that an insult Jimmy to your fellow crewmen? I thought with a hint of humor. I heard Mr. Hayes gather up the rest of his things and I couldn't resist it any longer.

I looked back over my shoulder.

"Stay here," Mr. Hayes, ordered Jimmy. He started to move up along with the lines as Jimmy stared at him.

"Miss Darrow needs me!" He called in a last attempt to get into the rescue party.

"No," was all he got and his shoulders slouched in defeat. He looked huffily at me and I gave the slightest of shrugs. I stood up and walked a bit further into the tunnel, giving us a bit more privacy. Captain Englehorn couldn't see or call me out from in here; the same goes for Jimmy and Mr. Hayes. He ambled over and I noticed this odd gleam in his eyes.

I sighed, remembering once again my nice cozy cage at the bottom of the ship.

"We're not staying here?" I asked quietly as he pulled out a black cap.

I watched him as he grabbed his regular loose cap from his head and switched it with the black one. It clung to his head like it was glued on and I had to say, I preferred his other one. He didn't respond to me and I took that as my answer.

"Give me one of those." I snatched another black cap from his hands and whipped it on. A slightly angered look came to his eyes and I stared right back at him. When he realized that arguing with me would get him nowhere, the angered look disappeared. Frustration replaced it.

I frowned at his face, taking in his still slightly boyish features. I glanced down below us and saw some loose dirt. I scooped up a handful of dirt and smashed it gently into his cheeks. He spat out the crud out in little coughs and glared at me.

"What was th-"

"Do you want to get recognized right away?" I hissed, holding another small handful. He stared at me before he allowed me to put more dirt on his face. A sly smile crept over my face and his frown deepened.

"You enjoyed doing that." He accused and I gave him a sheepish grin.

"I enjoy outsmarting any of you boys on this little ship, Jimmy." I thought it was quite a smart idea. And it's not like we aren't going to get filthy in the jungle where everyone is heading.

"And don't worry, it's not like it's makeup. It'll wash off… I think." I snickered as I wiped some own on my face. I winced as it covered my thin little gash. Then I started to rub it in, trying to ignore the sharp jabs of tiny rocks and I avoided the area near my newly gotten wound.

Jimmy raced back to the tunnel and turned to me.

"Come on!" he whispered.

"Get back here!" I pulled him back and he shot a frustrated glare on me. I took my overly long sleeve, unraveled and started to smear the dirt into his cheeks.

"Stop it! Stop it, it's fine!" He complained, struggling against my grasp. My grip tightened around his shoulders and I held firm.

"Stop moving or I _will_ go back to the ship, find Ann's makeup and make you look like a girl!" I threatened. He glared slightly at me as I fiddled with the dirt for another minute. I tried not to laugh as his pretty tan skin started to become a more light hazel.

"I have more on than you."

"If you think I always look this bad, I'm insulted Jimmy. But none of you have seen me without it so… I have no need too much a lot on. You on the other hand," I paused, examining my work before I dived in again, "and every other man on this ship, look the same with that much dirt on you had before. Actually, you all look like yourselves with the dirt on. I don't think I would recognize any of you without it."

I gave a sly smile and Jimmy's own small grin entered his face.

* * *

Don't be mad at me- the whole Venture crew is dirty! I don't think they know that they have a shower in the ship, lol:)

Yes, I had a bit of fun with my OC and Jimmy. He's a boy and I personally, he wouldn't like wearing any of Ann's makeup:) Anyways, I couldn't help but leave on a slightly happy, smilely note, no? I hope I didn't go OOC with Jimmy... though I actually don't know what that stands for- I know it means when a character acts out of character or different than their set character from wherever.

Anyways... **Review please?**


	13. Female Intelligence

**Thank you to:**

**Mindy Morganna:** Lol, I'd thought you'd enjoy my overly dramatic review for your story^^ i also found it funny- your 'woman sensibility' was pretty close to this title I thought: oops, did I upload the wrong chapter? But lol, no I didn't! Yes, Lucy's exactly what you'd call 'full of common sense' she is clever, if not in a young, sort of foolish down-right dangerous sort of way:) But she does have her (no offence) 'blonde moments' where she doesn't think straight! Lol:) Thanks for your review and keep 'em coming!

**HeeHeeHee01:** I'm glad you thought that! I knew I was varying on the 'edge of a knife' (quote from where people? Where are LOTR fans when you need them? Where's the hobbity-fun love?!?!?!) with that part... but I couldn't resist^^ Maybe that was just the fangirl writing away there:3 Plus, Jimmy doesn't get enough spotlight:D also, just a random thought, my friend and I adore your penname! It's so.... different, if I may say. But different is good... IT IS! No matter what the voices tell me! Umm.... sorry, I'm a bit spazzy right now and... yeah.... I probably creeped you out now...

**JainaZekk621:** By the way, sorry if I have been spelling your name wrong! I don't mean it, lolXD No, no, this story is GOOD. You're GREAT! I love your reviews! So much fun to see you quickly reviewing this story- normally I feel so odd when as soon as I get an update that a story has a new chapter, I always am thinking 'If I'm the first person all the time to review... will the authors think it's weird? O.o Okay, I'm not first all the time. Actually, I think I'm the laziest ass there is on this planet... Lol^^ But I love your reviews again and am glad that you enjoy it so much that you take the time to review it almost every chapter:D

**Bellaxtrix Kale: **(on your review for chapter 11) Sorry I didn't catch you in chapter 12! I was just, to be honest, to lazy to read my 'you got a review' email thing that sends out everytime and I just end up deleting them right away:P I know, EVIL. But anyways, thank you for your review! Lol, don't worry, I have already set myself into a Bolt/OC fic, lol:) But since Ryan Renolds, Wade Wilson aka merc with a mouth. I remember reading about that on wikipedia, lol; I was such a nerd and looked up the characters there and also, because I was looking up super powers for my Oc and found out about his nickname. Long stroy short: it was late, i was tired and soda & long hours in front of computer screen = slight craziness. I'll have the first chapter posted after Lucy is finished!

Yup. I felt the urge to right that much crap for those reviewers to read! lol you guys, you know I adore you all! Anyways... yay for cookies! I've been craving cookies for a while:3 Mindy, you know what I'm talking about; COOKIE SOLDIERS (::)/... yes, that's a cookie with a '/' as a... stick... weapon... thing.

Pippin: That's my line!  
Penn: Uh huh.  
Merry: How can you just steal away his line like that?  
Penn: Uh.... cause I'm the.... author?  
Them: What?  
Penn: I AM THE GREAT, ALMIGHT PENMASTER51! HOW DARE YOU CHALLENGE MY AUTHORITY!  
Pippin: Merry?  
Merry: What?  
Pippin: She's scaring me.

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

"Done," I said and pulled back, ripping my dirty part of my sleeve off. My hands stung in anger at me but I ignored the stabbing pain. He was about to touch but I whacked his hand away; I merely gave another smile at him. He shook his head, not saying anything. He walked out of the tunnel and I followed quietly.

"Why do you want to come?" He whispered as we slipped into the file, unnoticed by any of the men.

"Do you think I'm am going to let you guys go out there without any female intelligence?" I scoffed him quietly. I got no reply and I tried not to show the happiness as I trudged along with the men.

"You've got guns, you've got food, and you've got ammo." Captain Englehorn started, as the first few of us started to pass through the door. Those who lead the crowd were Jack, Baxter and Lumpy.

"You've got twenty four hours." He stated bluntly, his eyes wandering over his men. I bowed my head slighter and I knew, within a few hours, he'd realized I had gone with them.

"Twenty four hours?"Baxter complained, pausing and looking over his shoulder at the captain. Lumpy merely gave him a hearty shove and we continued on.

"This time tomorrow, we haul anchor." He said.

I saw him exchange a look with Carl before he let him go by. We passed through the gate and we strode over the wooden bridge. I did my best not to glaze down into the pits below us. The same red smoke I saw on the ship swirled dimly around us as we crossed.

We headed into the woods, hesitantly. But when Jack took the first step, we followed right behind him. It was starting to get lighter and I realized we went through this night without a wink of sleep.

The ferns that surrounded us were huge, fair bigger than the ones we got. They stood almost taller than me. There were thick roots where every we walked and I was always watching where not to step. The trees around us had thick trunks, far wider than I could wrap my arms around and touch my other hand. They were covered in an odd moss and thick vines; I decided I wouldn't be touching those trees unless I had too.

There were limb-like, leafless shrubs as we walked through the jungle silently as possible. But in here, we sounded like the racket of the city was trudging through here. Not a group of fifteen to seventeen people walking and trying not to make any noise.

"Miss Darrow!" called out one of the men.

I wanted to find him, since I couldn't recognize his voice and give him a hearty good shake. He should know better than to shout into the night! Especially where we didn't know what lived in this trees and brush…

I now remembered why I didn't really want to come on here, besides being near Carl of course.

"Ann!" Jack called out.

I practically stopped and let my face fall into my hands in despair. This was going to be a long night- morning, whatever it is! But I kept up with the man in front of me and kept my head down low. As we walked along, many other men called out for her.

"Miss Darrow! Miss Darrow!"

But I kept my mouth shut. The forest started to thin out of giant trees and turned more into a brush and fern landscape. I glazed longingly up at the sky, but only got the foliage of the trees. As we came to a slow stop, I saw a glimpse of moonlight shining through the trees. There were three thick trees standing in a clearing and I wondered how possibly anything plantlike could live down here. But we continued on.

There was a sudden scream that made us all stop in our tracks. It echoed in the night and sudden human; nothing that this jungle could possibly pull off. That means that it had to be-

"Ann!" Jack cried before taking off.

I was about to shout after him, but bit down on my tongue hard enough to stop myself. I was in disguise again and I had to remember that. That means I couldn't go running after him like I usually did; I couldn't try to catch him in hopes of knocking some sense into his head. I couldn't do any of that.

Instead, I merely quickened my pace to a fast walk; almost jog, along with everyone else. The ferns and bushes thinned to tiny, limb-like trees that were everywhere. It was like a horrible maze trying to keep up with Jack and Carl, whom had taken the lead with him. They were knotted and thin, but thick enough to trip you. Many times I just gripped the tree's trunks and weaved in and out of them. It took time, precious time which we never seemed to have enough of, but it kept me on the right track.

There was another scream and Jack's shout came out again.

"Ann!"

I swallowed my urge to call out too and I ignored the itch in my legs to sped past these slowpokes. I could easily breeze past these guys, even with my short legs, because of my easy height and how it seemed I wasn't tripping over any of these trees. Many of these men were big and the closeness of the trees made it hard for them to go through quickly. Even Jack, whom I called lean, was having a hard time.

But then again, everyone but me was carrying a gun. So it could be different for them. Ether way, I heard another roar of some sort and with the rest of them, came to a halt beside a frozen Jack. We had lost the creature and Ann once again.

Jack bended down to the pit of bones, dirt and other things, picking up another crudely made necklace. It appeared to be made out of some type of sturdy, dried white fern that spiked off the string with little teeth or smaller skulls between them. There were three slightly bigger, and whiter, skulls that sat in what appeared to be the middle of the necklace.

There were many more like that laid in the pit. I tried not to make my disgust so apparent, so I kept my glaze off it. But I couldn't help but notice the thin, white blonde strands of hair that waved in small gentle breeze. I glanced around my feet but saw nothing more of its kind.

That was Ann's hair, I thought numbly. Jack seemed to come to the same conclusion and tossed down the necklace.

"Christ, it a bloody bone yard!" exclaimed Lumpy, who wandered through the dried bones that lay sprawled up on the rocks above him. No one really seemed eager to join Jack, not even me. I was quite content on the edge of the little rock path and standing near enough bones to keep myself entertained. I ignored Lumpy's other comment, hoping not for some scary tale that he had to go along with his previous comment.

"Ann!" Jack called out and there was no answer. As normal, I started to think. I truly started to believe there would never be an answer. We'd always give the silence of the jungle or some wild animal, creature thing, responding to us! I carefully stepped over a bone, feeling my face pale just a tad bit. But I was pretty sure that I put enough dirt on myself that it didn't seem to stand out.

"Ann," Jack's cry was more out of despair than an actual call to her. I wanted to plug my ears in hopes of blocking out of any more dark, depressing cries of his. But they merely echoed in mind and I could do nothing about it. I saw Carl staring at something and I quietly slipped to the side of the group.

Two or three full-grown trees were snapped and bended and shaped into some type of circle. Many padded down ferns; grasses and other plants were in the center. I realized it was nest for a very big creature. And seeing it wasn't up in the trees, where birds normally roost as far as I know, it wasn't a bird.

We shuffled along a rock edge, I a couple of men ahead of Jimmy. Mr. Hayes, who stood against the wall, let me past right by without any inspection. If it would have been Captain Englehorn, I would have been already found and caught but Mr. Hayes never seemed to really recognize me.

Except I forgot about Jimmy. I heard the stopping of the footsteps and climbed a bit further with the other men ahead of me, before turning around. Mr. Hayes tore off Jimmy's black cap and the boy just took another step before he halted.

"Just let keep walking Mr. Hayes. Pretend like you didn't see me." Smooth words I thought. But the way Mr. Hayes reacted to them throwing himself in front of Jimmy they were by far, not smooth enough.

"Jesus Christ Jimmy!" He snarled, whipping to face the boy. I saw that he tore the gun right out of Jimmy's hands and glared at him.

"Hey I need that!" Jimmy demanded.

"I'm not giving you a gun!" Mr. Hayes growled back at him. I rolled my eyes, a habit I normally didn't do. Well, I thought giving a gun to him when we were rescuing Jack, Carl and the rest of them from this island, was a bad idea. A bit slow there, Mr. Hayes, I thought.

"You were younger than me when they gave you one!" Jimmy snapped right back. It made all sense now; why Mr. Hayes carried the air of authority around him. Of course, not as strong as Captain Englehorn since was the true captain after all. But why none of the men dared to question Mr. Hayes, besides Jimmy.

"I was in the army! I was trained, I had a drill sergeant!" He whispered hastily to him. I shifted my legs nosily and saw a couple pairs of eyes land on me.

"I wanna help bring her back," Jimmy whispered in a defeated attempt to regain some of his dignity. Mr. Hayes stared at him and held out the gun. Jimmy glanced at it and started to walk with it, but Mr. Hayes held his grip.

"Don't make me regret it," he said through clenched teeth. I didn't seen Jimmy's reaction because I was already rubbing off my dirt. I started it in slow circles then quickly swiped away as much as I could.

"Lucy!" Mr. Hayes' enraged call made me look up and wonder if that was such a good idea.

"Captain Englehorn told you to stay back with the ship!" He demanded an explanation with his voice, glaring at me with fury in his eyes. I shifted on my feet one, staring at the ground and trying to avoid everyone's glaze.

"Well… err… yes, he did." I bowed my head a bit, shrinking under his hard glaze. I could feel any confidence slowly draining from my mind and body.

"Then why are you here?" He questioned, moving in front of Jack to stand in front of me. I slowly peeked up at him and immediately lowered my glaze; his eyes smothered at me angrily.

"I-I thought… you'd need some…" I paused and peeked up at him again. He glared at me and I started to chew my lip. I never expected to be found out like this and it was like getting a scolding from my mother, in front of my friends. Embarrassing completely but I wasn't about to lie to him. Jimmy jumped to my defiance before anyone could stop him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hayes, but she wouldn't listen to me-" I whipped around to face Jimmy and my sudden furious eyes hushed him up quickly. I turned slowly back to the man and looked him straight in the eye.

"I came along because I had every right too."

"He ordered you to stay with the boat," he said through clenched teeth. The anger flared again in me and I spat out the words as soon as they came into my head.

"I wasn't about to wait days on end for none of you to come back!" I said and clamped my mouth so fast, my teeth rattled from the impact. But I could feel this sudden angry taking over me, like how I seemed to have lost to Carl.

"Do you really think I liked the thought of being left behind while all of you go and get yourselves killed? That I liked the thought of panicking every hour that you were all gone- wondering how many are left or who's missing an arm or leg? Or are all of you dead already?" I snapped, glaring right back at him. When he didn't respond so I continued on with my rant.

"I wasn't about to be the bearer of bad news. No, no, Mr. Hayes, sir; I'm getting myself killed right along with you all." I muttered and lowered my blazing eyes to the ground. But then I raised my head, letting the anger flow out. I wasn't about to leave this on a bad note; that never went well in any of the stories. If anything, I was walking out of this argument with my head held high and walking straight forward.

"Plus, this rescue party needed some female intelligence, if you ask me. Last night when everyone was racing through the forest," I shook my head and turned on my heel and started to walk to my left, "was absolutely the loudest thing I have heard in ages." I kept on walking, ignoring their glazes completely.

"Lucy, where are you going?" Jack said.

I sighed but continued on ward. The men merely collapsed up against the wall to let me go by and I walked steadily. I didn't look anyone in the eye as I did.

"I am going to find Ann, Jack. While everyone else can stand there and gawk like suffocating fish!" I snarled angrily and I swear I heard some laughter behind me. That merely made my stubborn temper flare up and I quickened my pace.

"Lucy, that's the wrong way-"

I blocked out Jack's words as I disappeared from their sight. I rounded another corner, fuming still when I saw it. I came to halt so fast my body swayed forward and back, threatening to fall. But I took in a sharp breath and stared at the creature. My sudden stop of my footsteps that had been echoing from where I was walking had stopped also.

"Lucy?" Someone's call came through my ears and out the other. I stared at the gross, sleek black, long and slithering creature coming towards me. My teeth started to chatter and I gulped down my sanity. Then I bolted out of there so fast, the walls around me spun.

"Lu-what are you-where are you going!" Jack's furious shouts at me were no use against my sudden panic.

"It's- there's a-there's a- RUN!" I cried out before I flew by them. My legs tore up the ground and my heart pounded in my chest. I panted for breath until I hit the tree line. I slipped and stumbled down the hill that crept up on me; I could barely keep my feet moving without falling to the ground. Unexpectedly, just as I was about to reach the bottom, my foot slipped underneath me and I fell face forward.

I felt my bag disconnect from my shoulder and be flung somewhere. I groaned after a long, dazed moment, and propped myself on my elbows.

"Where did she go?" Carl's irritated voice reached my ears and I groggily looked up. I thought I could make out tall, dark figures against the tree line.

"I'm down here!" I called out and scrambled up, trying to look connected and calm as they all scrambled down to me. I was picking off the leaves, frowning at the high number of them.

"What were you running from?" Jack asked desperately, the sudden desperation entering his eyes once more. I shook my head mutely and picked up my bag, throwing it over my shoulder not at all gently. Suddenly there were a few gunshots and a moment later, Lumpy came walking over.

"The snake's gone Lucy," he mused and grinned cockily at me. A deep scarlet blush came over my face. Everyone turned to me, their faces full of puzzlement. Lots of hilarity was gleaming in their eyes.

"A snake?" Jack was trying his best to hold his amusement the best he could from his voice. I could easily see behind it as I pulled out another leaf from my hair and turned my face away from them.

"You all can be scared of the creature that took Ann; you'll be all sorry for teasing me like this when I suddenly save the day and you all stand there, shivering in your boots. You'll be sorry that you picked on Lucy, that you will!" I said and climbed onto a tree trunk and pushed myself over it.

A whisper came: "Female intelligence you said?" Jimmy's sudden appearance made me jump feet away from him. He puckered his lips slightly, trying not to smile as the other crew clambered over the log.

"Yes sir!" I growled and continued on, holding my chin slightly defiantly upward. There was laughter and I shot everyone behind a deathly glare. That shut them up quickly but Jimmy was still chuckling when I started to lead the group again.


	14. Sickness

**Thanks to:**

**Mindy Morganna: **Yes, Lucy is a bit madXD Not crazy or insane- just a bit... ODD, lol. SHe's a fun character and I personally adored writing that part. I was thinking about making it a dangerous something then I thought of the snake and I'm like: she's not the bravest person (or brightest all the timeXD) and she's got to have that one thing she just can't STAND... so WHOOSH! She snake-phobia was born, lolXD

**JainaZeek621:** Lol, I know! A bit backwards, that what Lucy isXD She's got to have the little quirk that sets her out from the crowd! And also, I couldn't resist making her girlyXD She's adventurous and all- even a bit tomboy if you will- but she's still, well, a girlXD And I didn't want her to be afraid of spiders.... I mean, then she'd completely breakdown in the insect pit... but lol, you'll find out what happens in that chapterXD

**HeeHeeHee01: **Well, i'm glad I didn't creep you out, lol^^ I'm glad that made you laugh- I can come up with the most randomest things but... it always sounds better in my head, lolXD But her fear was my invention so thank you! I'm glad I'm making you 'high on laughter'! Hey, it's better than drugs, lolXD  
Yes Jimmy is a bit of a 'teacher's pet' to Mr. Hayes- I wasn't sure if I envisioned him ratting her ut but more of a defensive for Lucy from Mr. Hayes (cause he's got the most adorable crush on her that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzyXD).  
Oh thank you for catching that mistake! OopiesXD I seem to have typed that instead... no, no, I meant 'gazed'! I fixed it on my document but... lol, I'm a lazy bum and probably won't reupdate that till near the endXD

If anyone of you see more mistakes or think there is one, don't be afraid to put that in your review! It just makes you a better reader because you're reading carefully enough to notice those things and me a bit better reader/writer as well (as I said, I'm lazy and really don't look over my work that hardXD)

Anyways, I'm glad you all are liking this story! And now with the chapter (which, lol, is one of my favorite scene along with any close-ups of Jimmy, ie: his story part, the part where he, Mr. H, and Lumpy ratted out Carl, the whole 'THE WALL!' part, the stampede... uh... can't think of anymoreXD) I know, I know: O.F.G.S. (Obesive Fan Girl Syndrome). Yes, I just made that up! Enjoy:D

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

The annoying buzzing noise flew by my ears and I swatted at the bugs around my head. I grinded my teeth angrily as I pulled my hand back, empty-handed and nothing captured inside. It had gotten later and later in the day and right now, we were being eaten alive by some type of mosquito or blood-drinking bug. I glanced at Jimmy and he shrugged.

Everyone else was quite bothered by the bugs and it seemed most of the others couldn't keep their hands at their sides ether. I puckered my lips, frowned and lowered my hand and clenched it into a fist. Let these bugs buzz around me, but they dare come close to me, I'll get them! A few more droplets of sweat rolled down my neck and I gave a small shake, trying to rid of them.

Everyone was sticky and hot from the humid air. The bugs made everyone even more irritable and I didn't try to lighten the mood with stories or jokes for many reasons. I was in no better mood, shape or feeling than they were. I didn't know any good adventure or just plain stories while we could be possibly dying in the next minute. And I also knew no jokes or funny things that could possibly lift our spirits.

We were stuck in this hellish dark cloud.

I ambled on behind Lumpy, glazing bored at the trees and little bugs flying through the air. Suddenly he pulled out his pan and started to hit the bugs madly. I stepped back and ducked, watching him dimly. There were a few victorious tings or pings but nothing more than three times. He grumbled angrily and then put his pan away and we resumed walking. Baxter, Carl, Herb were behind me, much to my frustration. I didn't like being separated from Jimmy but there was no point for me to move.

I gave a sudden yelp and bumped into Baxter behind me; he shoved me forward and I sidestepped off the trail, to the left. I leapt back from Lumpy, as he pulled out his gun and started to shoot. I whipped to face where he shot at. There were a lot of this nasty bugs floating around this one tree, buzzing through its branches. Mr. Hayes suddenly came up from behind us and glared at him.

"Conserve your ammunition!" He demanded.

Lumpy gave him a glance before lowering his gun and bowing his head slightly. He took a step forward, paused and fired twice more before going again. I glazed at the tree and decided he completely missed everything single bug, though he left a few good holes in the tree's trunk.

"Lumpy, may I borrow your pan for a moment?" I murmured after a moment. He glanced over his shoulder at me, narrowing his one eye. Then he shrugged and pulled it out, handing it to me. I tore it from his hand and trudged towards that one tree. I felt a strange, strong determination to beat these bugs to a pulp.

"Lucy-" I cut off Jimmy's as I started to pound the tree madly with the pan. I could hear the buzzing around my head became a wild, frantic whizzing noise as so many of the bugs raced away. I waved at the bugs, stirring up more of them from the tree. I could hear much more tings then when Lumpy had used his; I smacked the tree once more and started to squash the petrified bugs against the branch. I pulled my pan back, glazing at the green and yellow squashed bodies on the branch victoriously.

I ambled over to Lumpy, ignoring everyone's quizzical look upon their faces. I spun the pan in my hand and glazed at the slightly dented, yellow and green bottom.

"I hit more than you," I said and handed him the pan.

"What- never mind." He shook his head and the line started to move again. Jimmy was standing behind me suddenly and he had a raised eyebrow. I merely shrugged, pulling away from him and walking after Lumpy.

A minute later, my hand shot to my left arm. I felt something squeak underneath my hand and I glanced over my shoulder: Jimmy and the few others where a couple yards behind me. I faltered my steps and pulled my hand to my face. An odd looking bug, real oddly shaped, was completely crushed in my hand. But what it sat in was a lot of blood.

I pulled my sleeve farther up to the spot where I squashed the thing. I winced from the sudden pain shooting through it and decided this wasn't the nasty buggers we had a moment ago. Something else, something hungrier for me. I gulped as the wound immediately started to blood again and I quickly tired a dried piece of fabric around it before anyone noticed me.

Whatever the bug was, I swiped it quickly on a passing tree and continued on walking. But the bite wound and the swelling, pink skin around it, throbbed on my arm.

I was shuffling through the woods and was barely able to pick up my own feet. So I merely shuffled along. Everyone else had gone around me, ignoring my faltering steps. I wondered if it was punishment for not listening to Captain Englehorn and coming, but then I decided it was merely because I was walking so slowly. I staggered and my arm shot out, bracing myself on a tree. I allowed myself to lean on it momentarily, try unsuccessfully to catch my ever-losing breath.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Jimmy's cautious whisper reached my ears and I peered up at him, glazing dimly at him. Mr. Hayes called for us to hurry up but Jimmy didn't move. I could see he was fidgeting slightly, wanting not to get to fair behind.

"Me? Yeah… I'm fine…" I took a shaky breath and used every ounce of self-will to get myself off from the tree. I stumbled a bit but keeping Jimmy at bay, I continued on walking.

"Lucy," he whispered sternly and I shot him a weak glare.

"I'm fine," I said again tiredly and continued, "I just am tired, okay? Just tired…"

I didn't mention to him the enormous swelling my bug-bite had gone up to and how the area around it was practically burning it was so hot. But my whole body felt like it was on fire; sweat rolled down my neck much faster than before and I could barely see straight. I couldn't catch my breath at all, no matter how slow I walked and how many times I had paused.

He shot me another concerned glance before quickening his stride and trying to catch up with the crew. I sighed when he was out of hearing range, shifted my canvas bag to my other shoulder and my fingertips brushed my bug-bite. I winced again, feeling the heat radiate off it and the pain the shot through it when I touched it.

"Lucy!" Mr. Hayes' shout my head shoot up and I quickened my stumbling pace to a bit faster stumbling pace. I only hoped that no one noticed my sudden weakness, dizziness and weariness as I caught up with the group. With that on my mind, I hovered around the fringe of the group and kept my head down low.

We hurried when we sat the crack in the jungle's trees ahead of us. Our feet were beyond tired; I had practically lost feeling in mine and some of the men were just barely walking on now, so I guessed I wasn't the only one. Jack pushed his way into a rock ravine and we followed tiredly.

I was right after him, taking a deep breath and glazed warmly at the open sky. Taking another deep breath, I walked over to the same wall, wandered about a couple yards away and leaned against it. The coolness of the shady stone felt good against my skin and though it hurt when a small, rounded edge of the rock poked my swollen bug-bite, the coolness helped dull down the throbbing and burn. Also, the isolation made me less weary of people noticing my ever-growing paleness and weariness plain on my face.

I gradually closed my eyes and listened to the men settling down.

"Fellas, we don't have time for this. We've lost too much ground! Come on, get up." Jack said, though his voice gave away his tiredness.

I remained unmoving and by the sounds of shuffles of feet, the unpacking of bags and other things, everyone was ignoring him. I opened an eye to see Mr. Hayes talking to Jack in quiet tones but he was looking at Jack sternly. I still felt odd and completely useless around Mr. Hayes. And no matter how many times I told myself that I shouldn't think this, I wished Captain Englehorn had come instead.

But then I reminded myself that I chose to come on this rescue mission and I would have to suffer with what I had. My neck rolled as I slowly started to drift off to sleep. But Mr. Hayes' voice made me startle and I groggily opened my eyes.

"Alright, you've five minutes! Everybody stay in sight." Mr. Hayes said gruffly. There were incoherent grumbles and angry mutters but I merely slid to the ground. I leaned against the wall and my head slowly bent forward. The world started to disappear but someone slid next to me.

"You won't be able to sleep for five minutes, Lou," Jimmy's voice echoed in my ears and I sighed, pulling my head back up to be leaning on the wall. I turned my head towards him, opened them and said: "I can't fall asleep if everyone is bothering, now can I?"

He merely shrugged and I sighed, muttering an apology. He gave me a small grin but I barely noticed it. I had closed my eyelids but was focusing in on all the little mumbles and bits and pieces of the conversations away from me. But when I picked up nothing important, I opened my eyes again. Jimmy was staring directly at me, a slight frown on his face.

"What?" I whispered, immediately realizing my stupid move. The bug-bite was affecting me too much; it had paled my skin on my face a sickly white color and made my complete body ache in exhaustion. When I barely had done anything! Before I could defend myself, Jack found something and the whole crew was scrambling around him.

Jimmy and I followed but I kept a good few feet between us, if he tried to feel my burning skin at all. We huddled around the finding but I made sure I stood in the back, trying not to picture bones or mangled bodies.

"Is that what took Miss Darrow?"

Jimmy's question made me curious and I weaved my way around to behind Jack. I peered over his shoulder, glazing at the giant animal print. It was huge! Probably the main big part was, at least, five, ten times the size of my head! The little prints that surrounded one part of it were bigger than my two hands put together. All in all, no little squirrel made these tracks.

No one answered, or dared to answer, Jimmy's question. It merely hung in the air until Lumpy broke the silence.

"There is only one creature capable to leave a footprint this size," he stated.

Everyone looked up at him; some eagerness in their eyes; some fear and sometimes anger for that fear. But ether way, Lumpy had our full attention. He took another short smoke of his cigar/cigarette and puffed a small cloud of smoke.

"The Abominable Snowman."

Everyone sighed loudly and I shook my head slightly. But I immediately stopped when my eyes didn't stop spinning when my head did. Jimmy stared at me across from the footprint and I immediately turned my glaze upward. I started to guess the height randomly in my head as the men before me, discussed the footprint.

"It's gotta be, what? Twenty, twenty-five feet?" Mr. Hayes whispered to Jack, bending down to his knees so he was looking Jack in the face.

Now, this wall is higher than probably all these men put together and they're, oh, let's say six feet all, except Jimmy so let's make him five feet… I glazed up higher at the wall, narrowing my eyes into slits as some sun gleamed into my eyes.

"Carl saw it. Let's ask him." Jack said in a hushed tone.

I straightened my back in anger at the mere mention of that man's name. Though I avoided him at all costs, he always seemed to be brought up in a conversation. A few men looked at me, as if expecting me to suddenly whip Carl out of my bag or something like that…

Hmm… now fourteen times six, you get eighty-four and plus five, that'd be eighty-nine feet tall… I took a step back, ignoring the men's nervous glances at me and stared harder at the ravine's side. Eighty-nine feet seemed awfully tall... let's make three men five feet, that's making ten men six feet… including myself, so that's about a four-and-a-half feet right there…

10 x 6 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 4.5 = 79.5 feet… Okay, I'll guess at fifty feet, give or take a yard. The math was starting to make my head spin again when it just had stopped. I slowly turned to look at the others and decided not to speak because Jack and Mr. Hayes were starting to get up.

"Denham?" Mr. Hayes spoke. Everyone looked over their shoulders and I knew something before they actually didn't see him: Carl, he was gone.

"Where'd he go?" Mr. Hayes asked but no one could answer. No one knew.

There was a muffled thud and I looked up. It suddenly a thudding of some sort came again. I glazed around at everyone, who seemed just as puzzled as I was. I stopped shifting my weight from leg to leg and listened closely. It came again and as we looked up, little small sheets of rock started to fall. Then more came. They started to become more chunky and bulky as the rumbling continued on.

"It's raining rocks," I whispered as one almost fell on Jimmy. Despite my nervousness to be near him in fear that he'd notice my temperature, I slipped closer to him and Jack. No one noticed my comment.

The rocks started to come down, faster, harder and became bigger. Whatever was making this avalanche of stone wasn't anything small. I took a hesitant step forward but pulled myself back when a rock smashed into the place I almost just stood in. I glazed up again, seeing the vines on the ravine's side, shake and tremble. That probably wasn't any breeze or wind…

I turned around with Jack, as this low rumble came and we saw Baxter racing towards us.

"Where is he? Where's Carl?" Jack questioned him immediately.

"Carl? Oh, he's, uh, up there. Filming."

He gave curt nod before taking off again. I was about to spit coward but then the whole crew slowly inched towards the way he raced away in. They glanced nervously at the direction, which was in front of us the loud rumbling was coming from before taking off. Lumpy paused multiple times I think to catch my attention and maybe the others.

But I stayed rooted next to Jimmy, who backed a way a little bit but held his ground. My hand flashed to knife at my side; the one that Jimmy had asked earlier in the jungle where I had gotten it and I told him of Captain Enlgehorn's request.

Herb came limping past us, a wild and panicked look on his face. As I turned back to look, I saw Carl racing with the camera on his right shoulder. Giant, grey creatures almost tall as the ravine's side, followed closely behind him.

"Holy Christ," Jack whispered. I was frozen in place, completely shocked and awed by the creatures. I barely took note of Mr. Hayes calls.

"Go Jimmy, go! Run!"

The boy paused before his hand slipped into mine and he dragged me along. Mr. Hayes joined us and I heard Jack's slightly muffled calls to get Carl running. But when I looked over my shoulder, I saw the plump man fall and Jack pause to help him. I slipped out of Jimmy's grasp and raced to their side before he could do anything.

I knew Mr. Hayes kept him going all the same.

"Come on!" I yelled, yanking on Jack's arm as he pulled up Carl.

"Let go!" Jack cried and I dropped my hand but I realized it was to Carl. He clutched the camera's other side, while Jack struggled against him on the other.

"I'm not leaving the camera!" Carl yelled.

The creatures were practically on top of us, Jack let go and grabbed my upper arm and propelled me forward. Carl was able to get up and carry his camera over his shoulder, racing after us. My legs slowly started to ease into my racing style.

Don't start too fast. You'll run out of breath! Breathe, Lucy, breathe!

My sorry, sick state didn't help me in running and many times Jack shoved me forward, afraid of me being crushed by the creatures. But they caught up with us quickly, their giant, tree-trunk legs smashing all around us.

It's like the little trees from the other night; except these were moving creatures and could squash us. But still the same; I weaved between the legs. I did my best to try and calculate where the next leg would appear but it was no use. I yelped, jumping away from a leg that almost crushed me to my death. It merely distracted me.

I could hear cries, yelps and shouts from the men ahead of us. I glazed up then saw a blue-green, orange-stripped blur go by on the grey creatures outside legs. I gulped nervously, trying to control my panic.


	15. The Stampede

I bid you, my reviewers, to slap me in your reviews (just leave a [SLAP] thing in it)... I allow you to do this: a) just to see who will do it, lol and b) because I am a terrible TERRIBLE person for making you wait what... four, five days (?) for an update! *sob* Tell me how you were patiently waiting for me to update... *sniffle* Anyways...

I personally found that I did EPICALLY FAILURE on this chapter... yeah, that's not suppose to make senseXD I don't know why but it just felt... like it was lacking the energy you felt during the movie. But then again, that's a movie and here you have to rely (somewhat:P) on your head to imagine it:3 This is pretty rare for me to feel low self-confidence on chapters... I don't know, but normally I'm pretty good on chapters- when with self-confidence...uh...okay. Continuing on!

I've felt almost brain-dead for the past few days; which is why I haven't updated since... gah, I don't even remeberXP Anyways, I know that's no excuse... Forgiveness maybe? Lol, maybe my brain-deadness is spreading into a week... humph. It's not fair! *starts to struggle muses*

Lucy: Penn! Get yourself together!  
Penn: Now I KNOW I'm crazy... imaginging up my OC's.... *angry grumble*  
Lucy: *grabbs shirt collar and slaps me across the face * GEt over it! Get your fingers flying over the keyboard again! Let the music flow through your veins (rant)  
Penn: Err... okay! I'll update again tomorrow you guys! Or maybe a double post today:3

**I would like to thank:**

**Mindy Morganna-** It's not that I hate bugs (Lucy probably does too:P) but that insane buzzing noise in my ear! It drives me INSANE- wait, lol, I am already thatXD I pictured them (Jim & Lou) as such a cute couple *big group hug* Jimmy: Who is this girl? Lucy: Penn... this is my story! Penn: *happily sobbing* I-i-i know! But I c-couldn't help it! *gives another group hug before disappearing* Jimmy: What was that... Lucy: Don't ask. LolXD

**JainaZekk621- **Was it intense? I think that's good, lol, because an author wants a re-action out of their readers right? Random note: do you know what I was about to type? 'Write' instead of 'right'... that's how braindead I amXD Lol, another random thought (you can stop reading if you wantXD) is that I feel that STRESS will be the reason I die... lol, just a random thought for ya to chew on when readingXD

Yay! Update! Read! Enjoy! REVIEW.

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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They were the hunters, the blue-grey dinosaurs. They looked relatively similar to the light pictures sketched into my textbooks back home. One leapt onto one of the large grey creatures, clawing its face and trying to make it fall down ahead of us. They were nimble, appeared to razor-sharp teeth and have the hunter's instinct to kill the easiest prey. I was realizing slowly, that we were that.

The grey creature fought, swinging it head around and bashing the hunter's body into the wall. The grey thing smashed into another one and I saw a glimpse of a man being pinned up against a wall and crushed to death. I winced from the sight and tried to focus on the path and legs before me.

The grey creature shook off the hunter and he landed right in front of us, on his side and stunned. Carl and I raced around him while Jack leapt over him. With sheer lucky, he managed to kick the creature right in the face and it fell back to the ground in defeat.

I pasted a blur of solid stone and thought I saw a figure standing there. But I continued on. But a few moments later, suddenly Baxter was racing between Jack, Carl and me.

"Coming through!" He shouted.

I glanced over my shoulder. He was ahead of us… that mean there was a figure! Just as I realized that, another hunter creature came snapping between the legs of the creature. Clutching onto Jack for dear life, we leapt underneath a grey beast's belly, using the leg to keep the hunter's jaws at bay.

He quickly lost interest, in no mood to get the life crushed out of him. He swerved over to Carl and the hunter was about on him when Jack suddenly leapt out of our safety spot. I let go of him but it was too late and I was dragged back into the middle. He smashed into the hunter and the creature fell down. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I was the hunter's whole body be smashed by the grey creatures.

I sped past Jack and Carl now, seeing an opening ahead of me. I weaved and weaved, barely avoiding all the flurry of legs and my own. I was suddenly on the bare outside of the stampede and my eyes bulged out of my head. I was about to crash into Jimmy, whom had taken behind a bump of a rock. He stared wildly at me as I slid myself to a stop. I clung onto his arm and turned to watch the grey beasts.

They were worse than we were; unable to stop them and so they started to slide towards the edge; towards us. I watched a beast go down and swipe off a man right off the edge and the beast followed closely behind. Jimmy and I whipped back to see two more creatures heading towards us.

He gripped my wrist tightly and we started to run again. But I slipped from his grasp, moving inward while he stayed on the outside. It was one thing to be pushed off a ledge, but having these legs all around me to crush me I thought was worse.

As Jimmy avoided the collapsing rocks beneath his feet by jumping from rock to rock, I was making my way to the edge again. He was barely able to keep on the rocks that didn't move and if he didn't sped it up, he'd be pushed off the edge like that other man really soon.

I shouted for him and made a leap of my own, making it and grabbing his arm. He stared at me, his eyes wide in fright, shock and anger at me but I kept on. My slip was loose but I fumbled till I found his wrist and let my legs explode.

I had lost feeling in them a while back, practically at the beginning of this stampede. So what was even faster running going to do to me; nothing so I allowed my legs to go all at it. I probably looked like a flailing fish when I ran like this but it was keeping from Jimmy, and myself now, away from the edge and towards the middle. We gave a couple of bounds before we were in the some-what safe environment underneath the grey beasts.

Though I could've ran faster than him, I clung to Jimmy like he was a life preserver and I wasn't letting him slip or fall. If I felt his feet, through the way he clung to my arm and the way he started to drag behind me I could tell, slip beneath him; I merely tugged him and forced him to regain balance.

The grey beasts started to move into tighter files and my legs faltered in hesitation. What's going on? Why is it narrowing? Why-can't-I-go-faster! I couldn't get any more speed from my legs and as soon as I started to slow down, I felt the sudden exhaustion slowly sinking in. Fighting it to keep it at bay with my fear of being crushed and the fear of losing Jimmy, I kept going.

I thought I heard Jimmy but the only thing I could hear was the crumpling and thundering noise of the grey beasts' feet pounding on the Earth. I had no ears for any pleas to let him go and save myself, forget him or whatever he was saying.

The beats above started to ram wildly into each other and we couldn't do anything about except try to run faster. They collided with each at the shoulder, head to rear and their legs near us threatened to trip and entangle with each other. Suddenly, I started to hear shooting and notice the beasts above us sink a bit lower.

"Don't shoot!"

Jack's voice rang and echoed in the ravine but whoever was shooting, continued. I let go of Jimmy's hand, much to the panicked look in his eyes and prepared to face whatever he was shooting at. Losing Jimmy's grasp immediately made my legs slow down, feeling the motivation to keep moving, ebbing away. He was safe, he was safe was all that echoed in my mind.

Suddenly, a large mass of grey creatures came into view. They had tripped; they had unable to stop; they fell onto each other. Making a barrier and a death trap for us and I was heading, full speed, towards it. I tried to slow down so I could avoid being thrown in but it was useless. I dove under their sprawling bodies and was flung into the middle of the mass. I saw Preston being thrown forward and Mr. Hayes pulling Jimmy to the ground in a desperate attempt not to get them both killed. Carl fell to the ground and I didn't see any more of him.

I propelled myself to keep rolling, knowing if I stopped I would get killed. I could hear the groaning, the moaning and calls for each other from the grey beasts but I gave them little pity. Their legs flailed wildly above me and I finally gave to a stop. I could feel my old cut bleeding again and I gingerly licked my lips, wincing from feeling the sting of a deep gash in my lip.

My arms, legs and almost my whole body were numb but there was this tingling sensation that started to come over it. I gasped as a ransacking pain coursed through it and it sent me to move again. I scrambled up, digging my heels into the ground and shooting myself forward. But suddenly a tail or leg blocked my exit and I skidded to a stop. I started to gasp for breath, true hysteria entering my body and my mind being sent into a panic mode.

I would die in here. I would suffocate or be crushed or be eaten or-or-or… I started to hypervinalate, feeling suddenly very claustrophobic with the sudden lack of seeing the sky. I am going to die here, I thought dimly. I felt the little blood trickle down my cheek, as if a red tear and my lip bleed into my mouth.

Then there was a cry of my name, an arm that grabbed me and I was yanked out of the death trap. There were gunshots, screeches of the hunters and I blindly followed the man whom had saved it. It was Jack, with Carl racing behind him. I stumbled after them, almost tripping every time I lifted my foot. But Jack held onto my upper arm, dragging me behind him. He threw me towards the wall and started to climb. I saw a flash of blue clothing and knew Jimmy was up there. The other men had to be too and I started to climb.

But I had forgotten about my hands. My hands that was still healing, still a bit sensitive. I cried out as soon as a sharp rock dug into that precious skin. I stayed to my spot, biting my lip so I didn't cry out again. I was about at the same level of the slippery slope as Herb, whom was shoving the camera up to Carl.

"Mr. Denham! Mr. Denham!" He cried.

Carl appeared, grabbing onto the camera and trying to convert him. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I knew it wasn't good. Herb was trying to hold onto the camera as Carl tried to pull him up, but the hunters got to him first. The man-eaters grabbed onto Herb's leg and tore him down, with a dying yell for help still on his lips. I threw my glaze away, feeling the first tears roll down my face.

Then they saw me. Blood dripped from their teeth and they hissed like evil, mutated snakes at me. They started to claw their way up again, snarling and spitting at me. I couldn't move. I stared into their beady yellow eyes and saw nothing but hunger and the thirst for blood. I shivered when suddenly there was a cry from above.

"Lucy!" It was Jimmy's desperate plea for me to save myself. He wouldn't shoot, not with me in front of the creatures and I saw someone fighting to keep him back from edge. My hands screamed at me, my fingers threatening to let go. The hunters were getting nearer now, slowly climbing up. Their small front limbs made it almost impossible to move at a fast pace and this frustrated them greatly, causing them to snap and growl at each other for their own stupidity.

"Lucy," Jimmy's plea was more desperate and a dark, dark thought crossed my mind.

Drop. I could do it right here, right now. Drop so that the creatures would come after me instead of them, so that everyone above me would live. But if I continued to stay here, baiting the hunters like a piece of juicy meat, the creatures will get high enough to scramble up. The men were exhausted and none of us were in the shape anymore to keep running away. The men would stand up and fight, that's what they'd do.

I clung to the rocks lightly as the first hunter became less than a yard below me. It snapped it's jaws and it's beady eyes focused in on my legs, dangling delightfully in front of its face. It lunged and I screamed and kicked the hunter in the face, feeling my boot smash against its skull and between its eyes. It screeched as it rolled down to Herb's bleeding body, shaking its head.

I suddenly started to feel my sweaty fingers slowly slip off and I put my left foot, which sat on a slightly stable rock and pushed myself up. The rock that was just below my foot became loose and collapsed onto the hunters. It started a huge stumbling of a rock avalanche and made the hunters race back down to the ground.

It soon became all a blur as I quickly tried to scale the side. It was terrible, trying to grasp onto the slippery, moss-covered rocks with my damaged hands and exhausted limbs. But I pulled myself up high enough for multiple arms shot out, grabbing and hauling me up the rest of the way.

My head spun wildly, threatening to black out completely. But Jimmy wouldn't allow it as I noticed blurred figures continue to race ahead of us. He grabbed my hand, making it cling tightly to his own and started to run after them. I stumbled after him, trembling from my near death experience and the thoughts that I had allowed to pass through my mind. After moments, we slowed down to a shaky walk. I disconnected myself from Jimmy, stumbling away from him.

"Lucy!" He called out but when I collapsed to the ground, I was already unconscious.


	16. A Group Divided

Yeah, any of you scene jumpers (lol, if you get thatXD) out there, you'll know exactly where this title came from... I had no inspiration on how to name it since it was kind of a general chapter, if you can call it that? Anyways, even if you aren't, you can already guess what's going to happen...

**I would like to thank all my reviewers**... I would personally thank everyone but I'm really dead on my keyboard pratically... but I promised you an update right?! RIGHT! So I intended to KEEP that promise! Anyways, my lovely reviewers, you know I adore your up-lifting reviews:D

What would you guys think of a sequel? Though I may be expeirencing a stress-indused *shudders* the cursed writer's block, I do have a few ideas of Lucy & Jimmy's later life. Deciding which path I want to take, that is. Its on my profile so I won't overcrowd this chapter!

Anyways, enjoy:3

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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A rough, frantic shaking woke up me and sent me to my feet in a flat second. Everything spun around me and I couldn't make out the figures in front of me, though I blinked many times. I closed my eyes, trying to stop the pounding in my head and the spinning in my eyes. My knees started to shake and I fell forward again but someone caught me.

"Lucy, are you okay?"

His calls reached my ears and I gave a feeble attempt to shove him away from me, shaking my head weakly. This wasn't happening; this couldn't be happening. All that was in my mind was the snapping jaws of the hunters and their bloodstained teeth below me. Then a sudden blackness that came over me. I remembered nothing in between and decided that I had truly died.

It was different than it seemed. The boy's clutching grasp on my wrist felt so real. But I knew it was all fake like a nightmare gone sickly good. That's all it was. A nightmare gone well. The boy's voice reached my ears again and I realized he was grasping my shoulders, instead of my wrists.

My hands!

They shook uncontrollably, almost twitching from the pain that coursed through them. I felt a small whimper escape my throat, wondering why heaven was so painful. Maybe this was hell instead. Maybe I had died an unjust death and there for I had been through here, forever to replay my last memories on this island over and over and over. There was another shake from the person in front of me.

I opened my eyes.

Jimmy glazed at me with wide, scared eyes. I could barely make out hesitant steps around me and decided that everyone was here. For some reason I don't know why. I slowly took the courage to look around Jimmy, seeing some men huddle in a small group. I didn't see Captain Englehorn or Ann or Herb or Mike; ones I would have assumed to see in my version of heaven. I would at least have liked to envision them here but they didn't appear.

But when another throbbing pain shot through my hands I decided that I wasn't dead. Not yet at least.

"My hands," I tried to sound it at least a whisper but instead it came in a weak, small whimper. But Jimmy ignored my whimper, holding my glaze while I tried to lower it.

"Lucy, how long have you had this fever?" Someone else's voice came and I looked around, locking eyes with Lumpy for a second. Though I was still slightly lost from reality, I told him about the bug-bite and how I had slowly been drained of my energy and health on the walk through the jungle. Jimmy gave me a hard, stern glare as my story came to a stop. But before anyone spoke, Jack did.

"Come on, we have to keep moving."

Everyone glanced in the way of the ravine and then we started to move again. Jimmy didn't stray more than a yard away from me as he helped walk me through the jungle. We trudged behind everyone else as we did earlier and nether or us spoke.

Jimmy slid down the small hill and I followed mutely behind, coming to a stop when I reached the bottom. Men were already sitting down and resting, all practically looking dead on their feet. Jack walked towards the water, glancing over his shoulder at us. I watched him closely, holding my fairly empty now, canvas bag. I had a feeling he was about to leap and bound into the water before us. The coloring of it, a murky, washed-out, faded green-grey wasn't pleasing at all to me and I had a bad feeling about it.

I placed my bag by the roots of a tree, a couple of yards away from the men. Immediately, my head bent down and almost reached my chest. But the terrifying images from a few hours ago, burned still fresh in my mind and I didn't fall asleep. I was afraid of what my imagination could come up with those images.

Instead I listened to the sounds of the jungle. Quite actually, I focused in on the men when I realized they were making too much racket to make listening to the jungle impossible.

There was some small splashing, very little. I didn't move; I assumed that Jack was wading barely past his ankles. I wasn't about to waste precious energy dragging him out of it yet.

"Jimmy, get a head count. I wanaa know how many injured and how bad." Mr. Hayes spoke up.

I merely peeked at everyone for a second. Everyone just practically threw themselves on the ground and started to make sure they were all right. Jimmy started to wander around, weaving through the crowd silently. I squeezed closer to the roots as protection.

"Injured? More of us are dead!" Lumpy said irritably back at Mr. Hayes.

Mr. Hayes didn't respond to that and I knew, that Lumpy's words had some truth in them. But I didn't say again and kept my mouth firmly shut. I knew at least three to five men were dead and the rest were practically exhausted, maybe a bit bruised and beaten. I didn't like to think I was the worst out of everyone; I was stupid enough not to tell anyone of my sickness and I paid dearly for it. I even almost made Jimmy pay for that and I immediately shoved away that awful thought.

Instead, I listened closely to the other conversation.

Carl and Preston were talking. I heard the mention of Herb's name.

The last memories of him flooded my head. But I fought my hardest to keep them at bay, knowing that my own memories were hiding behind them. Herb could have died for nothing, I thought. For nothing! I spat the word angrily at myself and I winced away from the harsh words. I was taking his death out on myself.

Every man up there could have been torn to bits because you were stupid enough to dangle from that rock for so long! You could have distracted the hunters, leading them away from Herb! That old man could still be alive if you did something! I mentally screamed and cursed at the hurtful words; they died down and disappeared from my head. But it left my mind, heart and body numb.

The ferns and small bushes covered me, along with the roots that stood above the ground. I like the privacy, trailing a line on the roots' bark with a shaky hand. I turned my attention back to the main conversation of the crew.

"Alright, we've gotta get back to the ship. Englehorn sails in nine hours," Baxter finally said.

I didn't try to do the math; I had lost count of hours after I tried to figure out when the first one from Jimmy and I being away from the ship, ended and the second one began. It was beyond hopeless but now that I glanced up at the sky… Baxter's statement made since. It was what, late afternoon? Maybe it was even very early evening. It'd be dark soon and I wasn't about to head back to that ravine at night. During the day was scary enough for me.

"So what? We've gotta find Miss Darrow," Jimmy said.

I heard the rustling of shifting plants, the shifting of clothing and I peeped through the roots. Jimmy stood up, facing Baxter.

"Hey did you hear me? We're going to be stranded here," Baxter retorted back to him.

I thought about his words. Would Captain Englehorn leave practically his whole crew behind? His first mate, Mr. Hayes, Lumpy, Choy and the rest of them? I knew he probably could live without Jack, Carl, Baxter or Preston but the thought of leaving the whole crew behind. Well, I could never do it.

"Look fellows, Miss Darrow was a great gal, no question. She was a wonderful person. It's a terrible lost and we're all going to miss her."

Baxter wandered towards Jack, turning from looking over his shoulder to face Jack.

"I always knew you weren't nothing like the tough guy you played on screen. But I just never figured you for a coward." Jack accused and I felt the tension in the air, soar sky high. Baxter stared at him, some fury in his eyes.

"Hey pal! Hey wake up! Heroes don't look like me, not in the real world! In the real world they had bad teeth, a bald spot and a beer gut. I'm just a actor with a gun whose lost his motivation." Baxter said.

I shook my head, trying to shake off my weariness as I climbed out of my hiding spot. I made half the crew including Jack and Baxter jump half way in the air. Baxter whipped around to face me, his eyes blazing angrily.

"Hey! How long have you've been hiding!" Baxter yelled angrily at me.

I stared up at him and grinned a small smile.

"I wasn't hiding at all. I merely found a quiet, slightly peaceful place to rest. That is, until all of you started to argue. Again," I sighed and rolled my eyes. I let them rest on the foliage of the trees above me. They were thick and dense; no way of seeing the sky tonight.

"Do all of you have to argue about whether we go this way or that? Can't we just go forward? I don't know which way to go; I have a terrible sense of direction." I said quietly, climbing onto a tree's roots next to them; they stood a few feet above the ground and I balanced fairly well on them. I sat down lightly and turned my attention back to them.

"Yeah, well," Baxter started but I interrupted him.

"I mean, how long have we've been out here together? Less than a day? And already, we're all at each other's throats." I turned to face Jack and Baxter, staring accusingly at them.

"It doesn't take that much energy to get along with someone, you know. But instead you all waste our precious time and energy yelling at each other. You're all grown-ups; can't you act to civilized or do you lose that when you reach a certain age…" I whispered, my voice trailing off.

I glazed around the jungle, gave a small shiver and went back to talking.

"Well, if any of you care what I think, I think… I think we should keep going. We have nine hours and by the way we've been making through this place, we'll somehow find a way back. Somehow." I said, looking up at Jack.

I stared him right in the eye before I turned to the moss on the roots. I started to pick at it, pulling out my knife and slowly cutting some of it off. Some of the men's eyes widening at the sight but no one made any comment or dared to. I scrapped off the moss slowly, peeling it off with long, gentle but firm slices of my knife.

Baxter looked around and then said, "I'll be seeing ya." He started to walk towards the wall of vines, where our little clearing stopped.

He gave me one last look but I gave a violent stab into the tree's roots. That gave him my answer all right and he continued to walk away. He passed Mr. Hayes, ignoring his glaze.

"Anyone else?" Mr. Hayes challenged.

I put my knife away, clutching it tightly as I peered up. A few men looked around, ether too scared or too stubborn to get up. But there were a few whom did and scrambled after Baxter. I suddenly grinned and hopped off the roots.

"What are you smiling about?" Carl asked and everyone turned to look at me.

"Why silly little me? I'm wondering if they," I gestured to where Baxter and two others disappeared too, "are the smart ones and we're hopeless fools, running away from coming back empty-handed. But that's merely the negative side of things; after all, there's a small possibility of finding Ann. Oh yes, there's always a possibility."

I paused, turned back to Jack and pointed to the water.

"Knowing how that water looks, I wouldn't go any deeper Jack. Those grey beasts and those hunters of them can't possibly be the worse creatures we'll encounter. And that is on land." I gave a shrug. But Jack did glance nervously at the water before inching away from it.

I walked back to my hiding spot, slipped back into it and moved my canvas bag away so I could sit comfortably. No one followed me and for once, I finally felt like I could sleep in peace.


	17. No More Dark Stories

**Thank you to JainaZekk621, your reviews always make me smile! Also: 39 REVIEWS. My first fic & yes, the Jumper fic (So I Jumped) was 21 chapters... it got 21 reviews respectively. This is 16 (now 17) chapters with 39 REVIEWS. I adored you, Mindy Morganna, JainaZekk621, HeeHeeHee01 and Bellatirx Kale!**

This scene is solely out of my head; as soon as I started typing, I mind-talk to myself: 'This is a romance story, gald dorn it all! There should be more romance!' Mind you, that this was back in 1933 and not exactly into the whole making out and I didn't feel like that was suitable for this particular story (note my wording, lol). So I thought: was is Jimmy's symbol? Okay, besides the adorable hat he loses (*fangirl sob*)... the book, _Heart Of Darkness_! Build off Lucy's character, Jimmy's adorable personality, and that book (that's never seen again by the way, *hint, hint, wink,nudge*)... you have a fluffy scene.

In other news, I may be posting the first chapter of my X-men fanfic... just doing a prologue to explain Oc's past cause I wanted to get that out of the way:3 It's really detailed- kind of really, really detailed but hey, it's a prologue. It's from her first power thingy to her recent birthday... lol, I'm trying something I use to do. For a little while now, I have been typing the whole story before I start to post, merely easier for me to post but harder to focus on because in my head: I'm finished with the story. I just need to post itXD Lol, so yeah, I'm only a couple of chappies in on it but I really want to buckle in and focus on that. So that means....

Sequel may be on hold, hehe^^' There may not be a sequel at all- leave the ending to your imaginations but ah, I have that epilogue to get done so... we'll wait in seeXD Enough of my babbling, enjoy this!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

I woke up to see Jimmy easing himself down across from me. I opened both my eyes and yawned, practically making him jump right out of his shoes.

"Where are you coming from?" I mumbled, pulling my legs up and underneath my chin allowing him more room. He shrugged and settled himself down.

"Just came back from guard duty," he shrugged again and leaned his head against the nearest root. There were mild shadows underneath his eyes and his eyelids drooped dangerously low. But he refused sleep, fluttering them open every other second they threatened to close.

"You should sleep," I murmured.

"I'mnottired."

His words slurred together in a very sleepy manner, like he was already partly asleep. I gave a dry chuckle and gave a sudden shiver; the late evening air was cool compared to the day's heat. Wait, I was cold! My hand flew to my forehead and I let out a sigh of relief. My raging fever was gone! Though I was beyond words exhausted, my sickness was gone.

"What'sthematter?" Jimmy's slurred words were barely an audible whisper.

"I'm feeling better." I murmured, glazing longingly at the sky.

The tall trees and dense leaves reminded me of the city. The giant buildings blocked out the sky with their corners and blinded out the stars with the closer lights. I never cared for it too much, though sometimes it made wandering the alleys at night easier not to get spotted by anyone. But the thought of never being able to see the sky, to not be guided by the moon if you have no other light, always just a thorn in my side. But I dealt with it.

There was a small rustling and I froze as Jimmy's hand grasped onto mine. He sat really close; his shoulder was bumped right against my right one, at perfectly ease. I could feel my skin get Goosebumps from his cold skin and his did the same. But I leaned against him, resting my head on his shoulder. He immediately relaxed at the affectionate response and I felt him press his cheek to my head.

"How are you hands?" He said and I felt him stifle a yawn.

I smiled and responded, "They hurt, but… I'll live."

"Hmm," was all I got as a response.

"Go to sleep, Jimmy," I whispered and I felt him pull back away from me. Though his skin still touched mine, I immediately felt the cool air rush all around me.

"I'm not tired." He stated again before pulling me closer.

I shook my head, leaning against him again. He sighed heavily and I glanced at him. I knew it was late evening, I think. But I glazed back up at the trees, in hopes of seeing the sky. There was still quite a bit of sunlight barely getting through and I decided it was still afternoon. Barely an hour had gone by probably since Baxter and the two others left.

Jimmy's eyes watched back at me curiously.

Then I suddenly remembered what I had in my bag. My hand shot to the bag, groping the ground until I felt it. He sat silently as I shuffled through it. I was chewing my bottom lip, hoping I still had it. About to give up, I felt the hardness of its cover and pulled it out.

"What did you find?" he whispered as I gently placed the book in his hands.

His eyes flickered to my face in surprise and I gave a shy smile.

"_Heart of Darkness_," he whispered and flipped open the cover. I heard him gingerly flip through the pages and watched as he gently touched each page comfortingly.

"It's not much of a help now… not that the story would be comforting in here, out of all places but…" I shrugged.

"I figured it would have been better if I took it, though. So it didn't get damaged." He glanced at me.

"How'd you…"

"Right before we left to rescue Jack and Carl and Ann from the island… after, err, your talk with Mr. Hayes- don't be mad, I just overheard… oh be mad, I heard everything. You placed the book down and I swiped it up, just incase the ship happened to be flooded or something. I didn't also like the thought of a library book getting damaged. You still have to return it, right?"

I swallowed nervously, trying to locate his eyes. But he glazed at the book, complete oblivious to my little glaze. I slumped back down in defeat and waited for his response.

"Why would I be mad, Lucy?" he whispered quite softly to me.

"I felt like… like I-I was stealing. I felt bad taking food from my own home when I ran away!" I shook my head softly.

"You wouldn't… happen to have… my hat, would you?"

I almost burst out laughing but I clamped my hand over my mouth before I did. I could hear Jimmy chuckling next to me and I saw his bright smile.

"No, that I wasn't able to save, Jimmy." I murmured sadly, remembering that every man seemed to have his hat on the ship. Many times, they looked all the same to me but I always wondered if there was something more to that. But I felt this wasn't the night to get into that conversation.

"Oh… that's okay." I felt him shrug off the matter and I smiled to myself. But then I felt a hard object poking me in the side and I glanced down. Quietly as possible, my hand took the book and grasped my fingers around it.

"I don't wanna read it anymore," Jimmy murmured quietly.

"Good because I'm sick of dark books anyway; enough of dark material."

I grinned in the afternoon and shoved it back into my bag. I truly was; I have had enough dark memories, secrets and horrors in this little adventure to write my own book. Then add any men's point of views, the ones that survive this, you'd have the squeal. Maybe Captain Englehorn could tell a short story at the end, telling what happened at the boat while we trudged through the jungle.

"Tell me about your family," Jimmy suddenly asked.

I froze and felt my muscles tense up.

"Did-didn't I tell you already?"

"Not all of it… you told me about why you ran away but… not from the people you did" he paused, looking at me, "but you don't have to if you don't wanna."

"No… I think this may brighten this up a bit. But I can't promise me a happy story, Jimmy. I can promise you a story that'll make you forget for a bit but not a sunny, blue-sky story," I whispered and peered at his face. I found his eyes and they looked warmly at me. He shrugged but a small smile appeared on his face.

"That's okay." He said.

"Okay then… where do I start?"

I began my story, weaving the memories in as they came to my head. I told about my wonderful mother, was she always wanted things clean and in order. How she loved us children with all her heart, allowing me to read her books and Louie grow into a young man but being allowed to introduce many girls to them. I told him about Louie who always was fairly levelheaded besides the temper that flared up once and a while. The ways he helped me escape into the night, never venturing father than the nearest corner from our home. I told Jimmy the night I ran away, how hard it was for me to actually do that part. Then I went onto Father. I explained as best as I could what he did and how this tied into ships.

I told him about how Louie told me that Mother told him that I had the same urge of adventure like Father did when he first met her. That I had the same distant gleam in my eyes that Father had. The gleam in my eyes that yearned for the sea and the swaying body of the ship underneath my feet. He was quite happy at this and he gave a tired smile; I felt his cheek brush my own as he shifted to a more comfortable position and I shivered.

Then I told him about Jerry, Tony and Phillip. When I mentioned Phillip, I told Jimmy about the likeness he had with Preston and I found that amusing. He wore glasses too but his were always broken at the nose bridge or they sat crookedly on his face. Jimmy laughed quietly at this.

I told him how Tony followed us around like a puppy to his boy; that he loved praise and would soak in it forever if you let him. He was quite cute and adorable but always tried to defend him and sometimes that dug him into a deeper hole. Jimmy made no comments on Tony so I immediately jumped to Jerry. I described his character, his taunting but playful teases and how he'd help me onto the ship. Jimmy became tense when I mentioned my nickname for him but once again he made no comment.

Then I explained how I always told Jerry to find a girl that was interested back. That made Jimmy smile slyly and I couldn't help but laugh a bit at it. I slowly came to an end, murmuring the last bits about Jerry's physical description…

"You're tired," Jimmy whisper barely reached my ears. I shook my head but I leaned on his shoulder, slowly drifting my eyes closed. He started to laugh and I puckered my lips trying not to do the same.

"Go to sleep, Jimmy," I whispered.

" 'Kay…" I felt him sigh and then moments passed, his chest slowly rose and fell at a slow, steady pace. For a moment, I felt all exhaustion slip from me and I glazed up at the sky again. Maybe in hopes that suddenly, all the trees and leaves had just disappeared and allowed the sky to appear.

It wasn't open but there was a small hole I hadn't noticed before. I watched through it; I gazed lazily as little creatures buzzed in the rays of sunlight that danced through the foliage. They seemed quite happy to have found a nice warm area. I yawned and went back to leaning against Jimmy. I sighed contently before I fell asleep.


	18. Crossing Doom & The Log Bridge

Right before I put anything, any author's note or disclaimer, it was an equal 2,000 words! I just found that pretty good and decided to share it with you!:3

**Thank you to JainaZekk621 & Mindy Morganna for reviewing! **Yes, lazy again but I want you guys to get to this chapter! Why, I don't know because if you leave out all the parts with Ann & Kong in them, you'll be able to piece together what happens... so some of you may have already guessed what's going to happen here... or maybe not?

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

It had been a few hours since Jimmy and I were woken up and the crew started to move again. We headed away from the water but yet I always had a feeling it was never far off from us. We headed deeper into the jungle, going higher it seemed as we trudged up some hills. The ever-winding paths of the jungle were barely worn down enough to be called a trail, let alone a path.

Whatever creatures started them didn't take them again and I wondered the reasons for that. But coming up with dark conclusions, I decided against thinking about it. Instead, I took up the end of the company and trailed about a yard behind the last man. Jack, Mr. Hayes and Jimmy were in the lead. It was a long, weary line of exhausted people but somehow we were able to pick up our feet to keep moving.

But when we stumbled upon the log, I stopped at the edge. It was a big log and its trunk twisted in every direction. It was quite thick and was slippery, being covered in moss and wet vines. The bark was a deep, rich chestnut brown and it reached across the short ravine easily. But the way it's top, the end in where we were getting on, appeared to be like something just swiped off the top of it. Peering nervously towards the end on the other side, the roots appeared to be half missing. The rest spiked into the air but didn't appear at all sturdy.

I didn't like this log bridge at all. So when the last man in front of me got on and started to trudge forward on it, I paused at it. I dropped my bag down, letting it slide off my shoulder.

I walked to the edge of this side, slowly inching closer so I could peer over. A few big black bats few beneath the log bridge, screeching out to each other. I shivered; the smoky grey haze below us made me very nervous. Let's find another way, men, I wanted to call out. I wanted to tell them that I had a feeling that we shouldn't be going this way but at the same time, something nagged at me that this was the way to Ann.

I started to chew my lip when I heard the shuffling of feet stop. I looked up, backing away from the edge and peered at the group. Mr. Hayes stood in the very front now, Jimmy behind him and Jack behind Jimmy. Mr. Hayes' arm held out in a stop signal and I felt a sickening feeling of dread enter my body.

Jimmy clutched his gun closer and shifted his weight on the gun. He pointed it towards the ground and I assumed it was for some safety measure. Jack held his own gun closer to his chest.

"What is it?" Jimmy whispered.

It was so quiet with the men that I could hear him and no one answered him; he merely glanced nervously at Mr. Hayes. I took a shaky breath then I climbed onto the log bridge. I didn't take a foot forward when I swore there was a shift of the log and I begun to cling to the log's front. I wasn't about to move forward or backwards for anything at the moment.

So as I clung to my tree's end, I watched the men ahead of me. Mr. Hayes slowly dropped down onto the other side and the others paused, watching him.

"Mr. Hayes?" Jimmy whispered.

Mr. Hayes reached the other side and climbed over the roots of a tree standing near their edge, slowly and picking where he put his feet carefully. Everyone still stood in the middle of the log, watching the five men trudge across the roots. Mr. Hayes, Jimmy, Jack and two other men stared at the other side.

I stared at the other side, my eyes widening at the sight. What I saw was a giant tunnel, far taller than all of us put together. It was well rounded and a few huge boulders covered the bottom of it. There was a small trickling and I decided there had to be some type of rainwater or small crook that ran down it. In front of the tunnel, were giant roots sticking out of the ground and boulders scattered across the clearing.

Every instinct inside me, screamed to race away from it. To never look back and keep running till I was back at the ship, then I would leave and come home safe and sound. But I was use to this feeling and easily pushed it back into its spot. I wasn't about to run and I wasn't about to leave this crew here. Though the only thing I hoped for that my instincts were wrong and that I merely was scaring myself. Even that thought didn't comfort me today.

I let my fingers unclench from my safety branch and I stared at the men across the ravine from me.

"When I tell you to run, run. Do you understand?" Mr. Hayes ordered in a hushed, whispered tone.

That caught my attention and I looked at him. He wasn't speaking to me of course, but to Jimmy. The boy looked at as Mr. Hayes glanced at him, a serious and loyal mask on his face.

"I'm not a coward. I ain't gonna run."Jimmy said in a defended tone.

"It's not about being brave, Jimmy." Mr. Hayes whispered back at him.

The brave man started to move again and Jimmy stared at him, half angry and half afraid of what he's doing. Mr. Hayes gradually strode out to the middle of the clearing, staring at the tunnel with a blank look on his face. He slowly stood in front of the tunnel, staring down it.

The dead silence was killing me; I hated the awful waiting of something terribly wrong to happen. So I only gawked as Jimmy slowly raised his gun and pointed it towards the tunnel. Jack half raised his gun behind Jimmy, staring at Mr. Hayes and the tunnel too. My heart started to beat wildly and I wanted to shove my way past everyone in front of me, to stand beside my two friends. But I didn't dare cause that kind of chaos; I would practically knock everyone off if I did so.

Come back. Come back, Mr. Hayes; let us turn back and find a different route! Please come back! I screamed in my head, feeling the nervous sweat starting around my forehead and on my neck. I knew I would start trembling sooner or later and I only hoped that I could keep my fear under control.

Mr. Hayes raised his gun and pointed down the tunnel. There was another long silence till he spoke.

"Go back!" He shouted and everyone stood there for a moment. Then Jimmy hopped down from the roots, starting to head towards Mr. Hayes. Jack strode after him, trying to get him to come with him.

"Back across the log!" Mr. Hayes shouted over his shoulder, glaring at Jimmy. Jack wrapped his arm around the struggling Jimmy, holding him back easily. My fear induced trembling begun as the men started to glance around wildly at each, unsure if they should. They all stood on the log, lined up along it like ants. I stared at the heart-wrenching scene before me.

"I ain't gonna run!" Jimmy cried as Jack dragged him onto the log. It broke my very spirit to see him so desperate, so greatly vulnerable.

"Get Jimmy out of here!"

Mr. Hayes stared at Jack before he looked at me. I raised my shoulders straighter, stopped my trembling to my hands and returned his glaze. I knew I couldn't hold back the fear that rested in my eyes but I showed him with my body language that I wasn't about to let anyone do anything stupid. And sadly, so matter how much it pained me to keep him back, that included Jimmy.

Mr. Hayes started to fire into the tunnel and my body became frozen.

"Come on," I whispered dimly to the men. A few of them only looked at me as the fear and panic rose to their eyes. Then I glanced back at Mr. Hayes, whom was shaking his gun. It had run out of bullets and now he stood in front of the tunnel, weaponless. There was a roar and I covered my ears, wincing from the memories that remembered it.

It came racing out, roaring at Mr. Hayes. It was a smoky black, covered in thick coarse fur. It had a skin chest and hands that rolled into fists when it ran. There were thin, grey-pink scars lined the creature's face; it roared again at him. Mr. Hayes threw down his gun and started to get a small handheld when the creature scooped him up, its massive hand almost wrapping his entire body. Mr. Hayes winced from the pain I imagined coursing through his arms and chest.

"No! No!" Jimmy cried in dismay as Jack started to struggle against his fighting resistance. Jack stood in front of him, blocking any route to Mr. Hayes and the only way Jimmy could move was back over the log again. But they were both trapped up against the roots. The creature roared at them but Mr. Hayes said something and huffing angrily, the creature turned to look at him.

"Jimmy," Jack whispered and tugged harder at the boy. I tore over to them, so quickly that barely any of the men moved out of my way and I had to weave through them. I clutched Jimmy's arm but was locked on with the creature's eyes.

They were this bright orange with a hint of yellow. Its eyes were deep though. There was much more depth to them than the bloodthirsty hunters or the panic-stricken grey beasts. There was something there, almost human. But I got over my discovery and gave my head a good shake. I clutched Jimmy's upper arm harder.

"Let him go!" Jimmy cried dimly and I fought the angry, useless tears as I struggled to hold him back. But I turned my watering eyes back at Mr. Hayes; I noticed he held his small handgun in his hand and I knew at least he wasn't weaponless. But the thought of a mere little handgun taking down a creature this large and that had to be near impossible.

I couldn't tear my eyes from the scene in front.

"You've gotta run, Jimmy," Mr. Hayes said with a husky voice. Jimmy tried to shove his way past Jack. But I grasped his arm, trying to hold him back and Jack blocked the way using most of his body.

"Do as I say. Go with Jack." Mr. Hayes spoke again.

The creature's eyes narrowed into slits as Mr. Hayes slowly pulled on his gun. The creature seemed to know that something was going to happen and for some reason, I thought it could be thinking something very intelligent. Mr. Hayes pointed it at the creature, staring at it.

"Run!" he cried.

But he wasn't able even to hit the creature. The beast threw him and I watched him, screaming out a sad, angry cry. Mr. Hayes' body smashed against the other side's wall and fell into the ravine. I whipped back to face the creature, feeling the tears flow freely now. Jimmy gave a shout of despair, crying out. Jack shoved him up against the roots and Jimmy fell to the ground, crying no over and over again at the top of his lungs. I fell among the same roots with him, crying into his shirtsleeve. He didn't try to get up and shove me off.

Then I heard Jack's hoarse voice, "Shoot him."


	19. The Fall

**Thank you to...**

**JainaZekk621 & HeeHeeHee01- **Yes, I know, so sad... It shocked me how Mr. Hayes just died. I felt really angry at Kong and actually, I was going to make Lucy hate him or at least, find great disgust from him, but I didn't have the heart to do that... he's too intelligent for that and at the end of the movie, he won me over. But, sadly, I can't say the sadness is over...

**ograndebatata- **First things first: ograndebatata, I don't mind AT ALL that I have a male reviewer; actually, I applaud you and thank you for giving this romantic story a chance! You took your time to review my story and it's very, very, greatly appreciated!  
I understand that you probably don't take Lucy & Jimmy's relationship (if I can call it that) as big as any of the female reviewers/readers I may happen to have, including myself. Completely understandable:)  
Also, I'm glad to read that it's enjoyable and well written; I actually think, so far, this is my best written story. I made sure that I avoided any slang from this time. Ah, I know about the extended scenes! But sadly, I didn't know that there was a Special/Deluxe edition of King Kong, though I should've guessed, until after I went out and bought the movie... once I'm able to access Youtube (also, my computer is unable to play any videos of any types because of a slow something-I-don't-know), I will be adding extra chapters going along with those scenes. That I made a promise to you, reviewers & readers, and to myself. Because I want to see them too!

Love/hate this chapter; you'll probably will after you read it. I don't know if I'll be able to update again tonight and even if I don't, I won't be updating tomorrow. Sorry, but I'm trying to spread out the next few chapters a bit more- if I can control myselfXD Review if you can!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

The creature roared as the men started to shoot at him; I imagined him feeling the pain as the bullets pierced his hide. He roared and loped to the end of the log bridge. I barely could see straight through my tears but I heard a man scream and I knew one thing: a man had fallen.

Jack, Jimmy and I were somehow thrown back onto the log. I wasn't sure if Jack actually threw us onto it or that we scrambled on it ourselves. I couldn't make anything out at the moment. Jack was in front of where Jimmy and I clung on, staring at the angry creature. I could hear the gasps and another cry when another man was thrown off. I didn't dare look down, as if I could see the mangled bodies below me.

My thoughts went to my bag and I remembered the book sitting in it. I truly hoped Jimmy didn't get too mad.

He, the creature, rolled the log back and forth easily. He roared multiple times. I didn't know what upset him so much… oh right. We started to shoot at him and he was bleeding and in pain. I decided, at that moment that was a very good reason to kill us off. But of course I didn't like that conclusion. It seemed here that every conclusion I came to was dark and included death. But a great fear came over me and I shuddered; this could possibly be the end. The end of Jimmy, of Jack, of Lumpy, of Carl, of Choy, of Preston, of everyone else on this log… of me!

I screamed as he rolled the log harder, feeling my pained hands starting to loose grip. I was going to fall. To feel the last moments of life fly before me, before I collided with the ground and became dead. Then I heard a cry and saw Choy fly down below. My body gave another bone rattling shudder, trying not to imagine the snapping and breaking and noises that a body made when it hit the ground.

Suddenly, the creature roared again and the log started to roll more freely. He bellowed again, but louder, deeper and stronger. Then he gave the log another good shove and _then log started to roll_. We tumbled for a second, going clock-wise until the ravine became wider than the tree and we begun to fall.

I made my hands stick harder to the wood and could feel the roughness of it scrapping and opening up my almost healed hands. The blood made it harder to grip and I gave a pitiful whimper. Then I glazed at Jimmy whom was still in slight shock but realizing my problems, his eyes widened more, if that was possible.

The log bounced off the walls as we fell and I screamed most of the way. I let all my fear pour into my screams for help, my sadness into the tears pouring out of my eyes and the anger that kept my hands griping the tree. I wasn't about to let myself die like this, I decided. I had to be there for Jimmy and keep my bloody promise to my brother. I will return home, whether if I was missing both of my hands if they survived this and then had to been cut off.

We banged up against another wall and it cut off my voice for a second. The impact that rippled through the tree and threw me, made me squeeze my eyes tight and tense my muscles. A few loose vines hanging off the walls of the ravine caught us for a moment, before they snapped and we fell for another second. Then we landed on a small ledge and the log tipped to my right, starting to fall once more. I thought I saw something dangling from the vines above us, but I didn't get a good enough glance to make sure I was correct.

The log started to became horizontal again and I gripped the branch harder. But my already weak and tired arms were no match for the impact the log had with the sudden stop. I heard other man scream and shout as my arms rattled, my muscles screeched in resistance and my hands slipped off.

I felt a sudden blast of pain to my head; that spread through most of it for half a second. Then everything went dark and consciousness faded away…


	20. Death of Our Friends

**Thank you to...**

**Mindy Morganna- **Mindy, Mindy- there's nothing to apologize for! You don't have to review every chapter if you don't want to and/or can't! Butall the same, your reviews are so nice to read! Thank you so much! Don't cry, Mindy! Mr. Hayes will make another appearance... *covers mouth* I've already said too muchXD

**JainaZekk621- **Aw, thank you so much! Your reviews always seem to add to the fuel that... um, fuels my need to update so quicklyXD I hope that made sense, lol.

**ograndebatata- **Thanks for your review! I'm glad that you thought the last chapter was interesting! Hopefully this next will be just as good and maybe even better:)

Okay, here's the next chapter! As you can tell from the chapter, it's not exactly a happy, 'we're alive/saved!' chapter. Still a bit short compared to my others but enjoy all the same! Reviews are greatly appreciated and warmly welcomed!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

The pounding in my head suddenly became a roaring thunder instead of a muffled pounding. I gasped, my chest feebly rising and falling and I opened my eyes. No giant light blinded me or no angels were standing above me; I saw the dark grey walls of the ravine to my left and right.

I laid on my right side, my body slightly twisted into a backwards 'S'. I slowly turned my head from its bruised side to look up. I stared up into a grey haze, staring into nothing. I saw some vines swaying in the air but I felt no breeze. I only could hear the pounding on my head, echoing in my ears and the thick wetness over my hands.

Groaning, I rolled all the way onto my back and I lay there for a moment. I was still breathing, I was still alive and that was good. Another good thing; we were away from the creature. That was good and we were away from the danger from above. But, where were we? Are we truly safe?

I rolled my shoulders gingerly, wincing only from the little ripples of soreness and tenderness that went through them. But they were fine and nothing on my back felt to be broken. I gradually propped myself on my elbows, feeling my body sway for a moment before I collapsed again.

Angry and frightened tears came to my eyes. I tried again, grinding my teeth as I moved faster than before. It hurt greatly this time and I realized that my muscles were awaking now; they were stretching and trying to rid the pain from them. I successfully pushed myself onto my elbows and I turned my palms upward.

I almost fainted when I saw them.

They were healing so nicely; though they would scar and they were still a bit scabby, they were healing. But the bark of the wood tore off the skin trying to heal, making them bleed greatly. Dried blood stained my hands, both of them and most of my fingers. I stared dimly as I looked down my arm, seeing little trails where blood rolled down them.

I didn't know what to do now. I had made sure that I was able to prop myself on my elbows without using my hands; I couldn't get up without them and if I could, I wasn't sure if my head was stable enough to handle the rise. I pondered the stupid thoughts in my head instead of trying to get up; they were completely useless like wondering if we had fallen a hundred feet or a hundred yards. It happened so fast but yet so slow too; those kind of thoughts started to make my head throb even harder.

Ignoring the negative, logical thoughts that started to prod my head, I started to try and get up without using my hands. I wiggled at first, like a fish out of water before I was able to get the movement down. I shoved myself up and my upper body was off the ground while my legs still lay on it. Then turning my legs to their sides again, I was able to get to my knees and stagger upward.

I wasn't the only one getting up; I saw a body move in the shadows. He was a couple of yards away. His name escaped me for a moment merely because my eyes were still blurry from my tears and there for I couldn't make out the details. But I carefully swiped away the tears with the back of my hand and blinked.

"Jack!" I gasped as he reached into a bag, not mine, and pulled out a flare. He unplugged it and threw it against the wall. I noticed a scurry of something that crept back into the wall before I got a good look at it. The light from it flickered dimly but allowed me to see a few unmoving men lying on the ground.

I did my best to ignore that.

I stood facing Jack, whom had just noticed me. I had my bloody hands at my side but my bloody palms toward him. His eyes widen and I bowed my head.

"Here." He said, tore off a piece of his shirt and placed it gently in my hands. I bit my lip and then puckered them sadly.

"I-I… my hands… I can't do anything," I whispered ashamedly. Jack gently tied the pieces of cloth around my hand and though his fingertips and touch was gentle, I still wince when he tightened the knot. I started to see fresh blood soak through the weak bandages and quickly brought my hands back to my side.

"T-thank you…" I whispered, avoiding his glaze. He gave a nod but then raced past me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jack stand over a man I hadn't noticed yet. It was Carl and when he asked him a question, Carl merely groaned. But he was alive somehow. I turned my head again when I noticed the body I was truly looking for.

I scrambled over, falling to my knees in front of his body. He laid on his right side and had his back to me. My shaky hand reached out but I was just an inch away from his skin. I didn't scoot closer but didn't stretch my arm any further.

"Jimmy?" I whispered, the tears forming in my eyes already.

There was no response. My mind immediately started to panic and my hands twitched painfully to shake him awake.

"Jimmy?" I asked again, a bit louder this time and I allowed myself to reach out and stroke his arm. I waited but once again, no response. The tears were starting to roll down my cheeks but I sniffed, trying to convince myself that he was still alive. That he'd turn to me no matter what.

"Jimmy! Wake up!" I whispered and gave him a gentle nudge with my hands. Nothing…

I numbly bowed my head, my shoulders shaking and soon my whole body was racked with silent sobs. I scooted off to the far corner, shaking my head slowly. I pulled my knees and pressed my face into them, sobbing. They were all gone practically; all my friends just dead. I had no clue if Lumpy was alive or if Captain Englehorn was still living but I didn't care.

They'd be dead anyway. It's done; it's over… I may as well try to leave this place by myself. Maybe I would take Carl with me, since Jack wouldn't leave without Ann and practically the whole SS _Venture_ crew was dead! I know I'll never be able to leave now; I could have myself dragged by the feet and threw upon the boat… but I'd still get back here. My sanity lies dead on the ground in front of me, crumpled and broken. There is no light for me now, no hope, no sanity, and no safety left lingering anymore.

I wondered what Jimmy would feel if he was alive; the thought sent another sob through my body. He would be done; we all saw Mr. Hayes die up there. Jimmy would be nothing, completely nothing. He'd be a dark abyss, spiraling down and down. He couldn't even be called human anymore; dark circles would appear under his eyes, his face would be sunken and pale. His eyes would hold nothing; they'd be the dark side of the ocean; deep and dark and no returning.

All these dark thoughts were drowning me down and I pressed my face closer to my knees. But I heard Jack threw himself in front of Jimmy, rolling the boy to his side.

"Jimmy!" was all I heard before I blocked out Jack's words. But I couldn't restrain myself from having the curiosity to look up.

I lifted my head, feeling the tears keep rolling down my cheek still. Maybe it would comfort me if someone, maybe, could feel like I did. Jack at least had the hope of Ann being alive; Jimmy lay dead before me, plain as reading a book. Then I gasped. Jimmy stared at Jack; his chin quivered and the tears started to flow from his eyes. He buried his face into Jack's shoulder, his body shaking from silent sobs.

I was in absolute shock. He's alive; he's not dead! I scrambled over to Jimmy and threw my arms around his shoulders. I buried my face into his shoulders, feeling happy hysteria fill my body as I continued to shake with sobs. Jimmy, still in slight shock, didn't move at all. Jack got up quietly, disconnecting himself from the astonished Jimmy and left us alone.

"Lu-Lucy?" He stammered as he pulled me off his shoulders; I trembled in his tight gripe. His bloodshot eyes stared into mine. I nodded, chewing my bottom lip vicious as I regained control of myself. The shaking stopped and I felt his grip loosen to a firm, but warm grip. I took a shaky breath, closed my eyes as I did and opened them when I let out the breath. One long moment passed and I finally was in control of myself. Besides everything, I blushed at my actions and lowered my glaze to the ground.

"I-I thought… you- we-were…" he couldn't speak straight and he stammered, frowning at me.

"I thought… you were dead… Jimmy." I whispered and shook my head, the sobs taking over my body again. This time he pulled me into his embrace but I could feel his tears rolling onto my head. After a moment, we pulled apart and I turned to look over my shoulder.

Lumpy laid in muck next to Choy's body and didn't look up at us. I decided that we were probably the last ones alive. The sudden thought struck me deeply. We could possibly be the only people left! The ones that may be the only ones to replay our stories to others, to tell all our loved ones… I glanced down and I felt my shoulders fall down in defeat.

What loved ones? They lay here, mangled and dead among each other; where we placed our feet and walked by them, trying to ignore their lifeless glaze. No, for Lumpy and Jimmy, this was their loved ones. And for me too, for me too…

I gazed up again to see Carl crawling towards something. He had his back to us but I could see the movement of his arms. My thoughts strayed to his camera. That couldn't have possibly survived! If it did… anger swelled in my belly and some adrenaline pumped through my body. I'd destroy that bloody thing myself!

The flare suddenly went out and the dim light was replaced with a smoky darkness. We could see just fine but I started to hear the _clickety-click_ of small jaws and the _tap-tap_ of small feet on the ravine's walls sent giant ripples of shivers through my body. I clutched Jimmy's hand and brought myself closer to his body.

The creatures that crawled out of the depths of the shadows were like the bugs we saw in New York City. Except that these bugs were about ten times that size they should've been. There were giant centipedes and they crawled out, weaving back and forth as they smelled us. Other bugs came, too many for me to really focus in on and figure out what type they were. All I knew was that they looked hungry and we were the only fresh meat.


	21. The Insect Pit

**Chapter title pretty self-explanatory:) I think I did fairly good with this chapter, comparing my confidence with this chapter to 'The Stampede' chapter's confidence. But, oh well, you guys are up to that!**

**Thank you to...**

**Ograndebatata- **Thanks for your review! It means a lot! I was worried that my emotions would be too, overly dramatic? If that's the right word I'm looking for, lolXD I was in shock and awe at the insect pit, first because, there's only three of them left (after Lumpy's gone) and giant bugs… you can't squash them at all! I hope you enjoy the this chapter too:)

**Mindy Morganna-** La gasp! Mindy! You know I would never do that! And I want a flamethrower too:) Yes, a sad chapter but in this one it picks up the pace a little bit and loses the sadness I think:3 Keep up your amazing reviews!

**HeeHeeHee01- **Thanks for your review! Yay for craziness! And finally, we'll be able to get away from this angst/hurt/comfort:) Yes, I though Lucy going into shock would be a sure death for her and tried to avoid that a bit... Anyways, now that you mention it, you're right! Lol, I did the same thing with half of the other scenes (including the dance pit, the vandalized posters in Bruce's room, etc.)!

Thanks for your review! Keep 'em up:)

**JainaZekk621-** Don't worry, this awesome/cool (thank you by the way:) story isn't that close to being finished! Trust me, I'm trying to finish up the epilogue (but sadly, other muses are popping up, arughXD) and get my lazy bum onto the sequel!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

My hand shot to my knife and I yanked it out in a clumsy style. My hand shook greatly and I tried to steady it unsuccessfully. Jimmy glanced nervously at me, his turning from sadness to panic. We scrambled up as Jack raced over to Lumpy, tearing off this giant cockroach-cricket bug cross off his head. Jimmy swayed next to me and clutched my arm to balance himself.

Then I noticed the large rolls of movement in the muck where Lumpy. My voice escaped me as this giant worms exploded from it. Suddenly, a thinner pink one escaped from the muck-covered shells. It had claw-like weapons pointing off the opening I thought that could be their mouths.

One started to crawl up Lumpy's leg and I realized that it was eating him. The worm thing was eating Lumpy! I was about to leap forward but Jimmy held me back. For a broken-hearted, exhausted boy, he was sure strong. I couldn't move and I gave a weak cry. This couldn't be happening!

Lumpy attacked viciously, chopping off the heads of the creatures with his giant machete. But every time he took out one worm-leech thing, two replaced that one's spot. I struggled against Jimmy's hold, elbowing him with all my might. But that was very weak, even for me and I was exhausting myself further. I merely stopped moving all together and my body shook with sobs.

I heard the clatter of my knife slipping from my hands and falling to the ground.

Suddenly, Jimmy's grasp disappeared and I whipped around. Those cricket creatures were crawling towards us; some were balancing on a branch above us and Jimmy was swatting them away. I turned to watch Jack clawing off the same type of bugs from his whole body, they were covered him like a jacket. He was barely able enough to keep some off to let me recognize him. Carl was fighting off this ugly creature, using an empty gun as a stick weapon. He fought off more of the cricket creatures.

There was a scream and I looked up. A man scaling the wall was suddenly shoved off the wall. I saw a limb-like claw wrapped around his body and then he was shot into the hole where it came from. I screamed as I felt something start to crawl up my leg.

I scooped up my knife and sliced open the cricket bug. More started to come towards me and I began to tremble. Giant gorillas, which I just realized what that beast that killed Mr. Hayes was, crazy people of Skull Island, stampeding grey beasts and the hunters of them I could take. I knew we had a good chance of survival there. But here… we were doomed in this insect pit.

I chopped off another bug, throwing it off and stabbing another one. My hands started to bleed greatly and I could feel the cloth being soaked as I kept fighting the bugs.

Carl, Jack, Jimmy and I were soon herded into a tight circle before Carl broke through it, kicking the angry bugs away. Jack was smacking, hitting and kicking the insects away from Jimmy and I. I glanced up from the fighting, seeing more crawl down the walls. I gulped nervously, felt the similar tickling feeling and stabbed another creature off my body. Jimmy had also been able to break away from the group and I stumbled away from Jack.

He stood, being practically covered in the cricket creatures once more. I glanced at Lumpy, seeing a leech-worm creature devour his head. I turned away, squeezing my eyes shut, feeling my stomach churn as the rest of him was destroyed and eaten. There was no time to start mourning his lost or to start crying. I opened my eyes to see Jimmy grab up a fallen tommygun. He found one of those rolls of bullets and as he fumbled to shove the roll into its place, I once more began to hack off those cricket-cockroach creatures.

Jimmy was able to load the gun and I rushed to his side, panting and sweating from killing off the bugs. I kept them off us, slashing at them and slicing the air. I could hear the small noise my knife made as I sliced through the air, cutting one bug into two squirming pieces. It gave off a pathetic cry before I stabbed my knife into the front piece's chest.

I yanked it out and glanced at Jimmy and Jack. Jack was throwing off the bugs left and right, but more kept coming. Jimmy held up the gun, pointing it towards the gun. For a moment, I thought with hysteria in my mind, that Jimmy was trying to shoot Jack. But then I realized he was trying to get a good shot at the insects covering him. I saw the panic and fear in Jimmy's eyes; I knew his reflected a lot of what my own eyes appeared to be.

Oh, how I wanted to comfort him. To tell him that everything would be all right; everything would be fine and we'd live happily ever after. But that would be the greatest lie I could ever say. Nothing would be better after this adventure, no, this nightmare. Everything wouldn't be all right; all our friends are dead and we're losing this battle. Lumpy has been eaten alive, Carl's fighting off the bugs and losing energy, Jack is about to get eaten alive by over-sized damn cockroach-cricket creatures and we're next on the menu. We'd wouldn't live a happily ever after; we'd probably won't live through this!

There is no hope that we'd live happily till the end of our days… but there is a possibility we could save Jack from an agony-filled death. Possibly.

I gave a wild war cry and forced my arms into a faster killing mode. I was soon just flailing around, my eyes blurring before me as angry tears flooded them. I could hear the furious squeals from the bugs as I killed off their mates, their children, their families and themselves. They would not see mercy no more; they are trying to kill my friends and me and there for, I shall fight them with the same killing instinct. I let red fury cover my better judgment and I inched away from Jimmy, in hopes of avoiding hurting him and that the bugs were leaving him alone.

Something bit me and I cried out, dropping my knife and staggering back. I whipped off a cricket and snarled curse words. I placed my hand on my little wound, feeling it sting. It's not that it hurt like hell; quite actually, it wasn't even bleeding. But the thought that even in my hellish, angry form, I couldn't beat their numbers defeated any fighting will that was left in me.

My weapon was gone. My anger was gone. My will to live was slowly dying. But yet, there was still the crazy instinct to get out of here. Even the thought of leaving Jimmy and Jack behind crossed my mind; but that disappeared before any idea or plan backed it up. I wouldn't leave these two behind if it meant feeling the worse possible death that a human could feel. I was not going to leave them… never.

I smacked off the bugs off my knife, pulling it up from the ground and inching backwards. Feeling Jimmy's shoulder bump mine, I glared at the bugs before giving Jimmy room to move and glancing at Jack.

"Kill it!" Jack gasped as he threw off another bug.

It was horrid dance they were doing. As Jack's arm scrambled behind his back, pulling and tearing off the bugs and throwing them half-way across the ravine, Jimmy was moving back and forth, trying to get a good shot. Before another moment passed by, Jimmy started to shoot.

I didn't know how to use a gun so I merely moved a couple feet away, hoping not to unnerve Jimmy by doing so. I stabbed another bug, a different one but one no bigger than those cricket-cockroaches. Most of those creatures had drawn their attention to Jack. I glanced nervously at the pair of men in front of; Jack appeared to be not shot, so I relaxed a bit.

But the same bugs were also swarming Carl. He was whipping that empty gun he held, with ease and he was shoving away the bugs with strong arms. But he probably had been keeping that up for at least a nice two minutes and he had to be exhausted. His tired, sweaty face agreed with my guess.

"Stop moving!" Jimmy suddenly cried.

I whipped around, ignoring the creepy feeling of a cricket-cockroach crawling up my leg. Then I realized my stupid move and I smacked the bug off, throwing it against the wall and stunning it. I noticed a body of a man being tossed about farther down in the ravine. My stomach curled again and I immediately went back to fighting off the bugs.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a giant creature- I wasn't sure what it was or what it supposed to look like- snap at Jimmy. But before I could do anything, Jimmy whipped around to it and smashed the gun's barrel on its head.

It disappeared from my sight.

Jimmy shot off the last of the cricket-cockroach things off Jack. The creatures were thrown off his back and smashed into the ground; a few squirmed for a moment and then went limp. They were dead. But when I continued to watch, I saw one clinging to Jack's face. The thought of feeling the bug's feelers and antennas made me shiver in disgust.

"Get it off my face!" Jack's muffled voice said.

For a moment, I thought about taking the gun from Jimmy and shooting the thing myself. I glanced down at bloody hands; already the pale shirt fabric was bright red and splotched with bug blood. No, I best not do that. Not unless I want to kill everything, man and insect, in this ravine.

"Stay still!" Jimmy's fearful warning came.

"I am standing still!" Jack said annoyed.

Jimmy took a moment, but a few bullets threw the insect right off Jack's face. A few more climbed up his legs.

"Be careful!" Jack warned, trying to shove off the insects.

"Hold on!" There was more confidence in Jimmy's voice and he shot off the last bugs.

Jack looked around at him, making sure there were no more bugs. Then he looked at Jimmy, who stared back at him in still slight shock. Then Jack looked at me and I shrugged, placing my knife back in its holder. No cricket-cockroach moved or twitched; also, no more came scaling down from the walls or from the holes in the depths of the shadows.

Jimmy threw down the gun in disgust and jumpily moved over closer to me, took my hand and we stumbled closer to Jack.

Then I heard it again. The _tap-tap_ of feet, but it came much faster than the cricket-cockroaches and there were more of the sounds put together. _Tap-tap-tap-tap_. And it was louder, made by something bigger. I couldn't possibly imagine any more creatures. The way my muscles screamed and how my hands felt sticky and smelled disgusting from the mixture of my own blood and the bug's blood; I thought there couldn't possibly be anymore! But I thought about it; wasn't this island impossible to find? Well, the SS Venture accomplished that. So was it really impossible that there were more damn, dangerous, man-eating bugs coming to get us?

No. Not really.

The bugs were big. They crawled out from everywhere; the mass of them was quite larger than the cricket-cockroaches. Actually, their bodies were about the size of Jimmy's height and their legs were long and wiry. They had about six or four of them put together, I couldn't get a good look; they went upward from their body and then made like a little dome arch before going to the ground. They had large pinchers in front of them; those weapons bared close resemblance to a crab's pinchers.

They herded Jack, Carl and me into a group of three. Jimmy stared at them until he started to stumble backwards and my hand shot out, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him towards me. We watched as more crawled down from the walls, snapping their ferocious pinchers at us. I stared one dead in the eye and I started to tremble.

Suddenly, there was a gunshot. A creature screeched, one on the wall and fell to the ground. Then a hundred of gunshots shot out and more creatures fell from the wall. Some on the ground screamed as they were killed and fell to the ground. I gave a yelp, now holding onto Jimmy's sleeve with both hands.

Jack held a broken branch and Carl stood to his left. We all looked up, our heads whipping around wildly to see where the gunshots were coming from. When I heard the voice, I could have cried out with joy. But I was still far too much in shock to do so.

"Don't move! Stay away from the walls!"

Captain Englehorn's German-accent voice was all I needed to feel saved. He was saving us; we weren't going to die, we were going to get out of this hellhole and into sunlight. I knew I was hoping far too high but I couldn't rein myself in.

I saw the body, the similar but mangled body behind a few fallen trees and boulders and dead bug bodies. Mr. Hayes… what could only be what's left of him.

"Coming through!"

Bruce Baxter suddenly appeared above us, swinging back and forth on a rope. He held onto the rope with one hand and shot the bugs with the gun in his other. He said other things but I didn't hear and if I did, I probably wouldn't have cared.

Breaking free of Jimmy and ignoring his cry for me to come back, Captain Enlgehorn's angry cursing directed at me, I raced to the body. I knew Jack held Jimmy back and I could imagine his thoughts. He would remember Jack holding him back as Mr. Hayes was put into danger and then killed.

I made my legs run faster and somehow they worked with me. I leapt and dodged the angry bugs, scurrying underneath the dying bodies and avoiding the muck where Lumpy was eaten. I made past all of that and threw myself through the tangled brambles. I crawled through quickly, feeling the branches claw at me angrily. They didn't want me to reach Mr. Hayes. I screeched angrily as my shirt was stuck. I ripped off the rest of that sleeve and slid into where his body lay.

* * *

Yes, I know in an extended verison of King Kong shows Jimmy finding Mr. Hayes hat- I didn't find that out until after writing this chapter and the next and I couldn't bare to part with them. So, I don't know if I'll include Jimmy's finding of Mr. Hayes but I want too... so, when I get to that bridge, I'll deal with it:)


	22. You're Not My Captain

**Thank you to JainaZekk621! **Just to let you all now, I'm not feeling good:( Which is why I've barely touched my stories and updates for the next couple of days may be slow... But I made myself update today, cause it's a long chapter and you guys are need of some nice, healthy long chapters (not that the other one wasn't longXD). So yeah.... enjoy:)

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Mr. Hayes rested on a giant root. There were dead leaves surrounding the fallen trees that made a protective covering over his body. His right arm draped over the side of the root, scarcely touching the ground. His left arm lay across his chest, his left hand resting near his right shoulder.

He looked so peaceful, for a moment of hesitation; I felt I couldn't disturb his eternal sleep. I shouldn't disturb him; his face finally looked relaxed and not stern or angrily or frowning. I crawled towards him, ignoring the cries and the shouts for me to come back. Everyone didn't know where I disappeared to and for a moment, I liked that. No one had the need to see such a strong, alive man… like this.

I crawled on my hands and knees, taking shaky breaths as I approached him.

I truly did expect for him to suddenly stir, groan or curse at his sore body. For him to do something! But I sadly shook my head away and with so, those blissfully hopeful thoughts. That was beyond impossibly; that went against every law of physics, life and death for Mr. Hayes to stir and rise up again.

I pulled myself from my knees, raising my bloody hands to balance on the roots. I knew I had little time but I took the time to take in what I saw. No blood, no glassy, life-less eyes. He truly did look like he was asleep. Shaking my head and tearing my eyes away from him, I saw what I wanted. What someone I knew would want.

Mr. Hayes hat lay near the root. It barely stood out in its dirty blackness against the deep brown of the root but I saw it. I gingerly picked it up with shaking fingers. I was afraid of dropping it or it turning to dust in my hands as I cupped it protectively. Yes, someone would want this.

"Goodbye Mr. Hayes," I whispered gently.

"Jimmy's still alive, you know. I'll… I'll take good care of him, I promise."

It was a stupid, foolish promise I made to this cold man. But I made it anyway. I had gone through far too much to detach myself from my Venture crew family now. Not even Louie, whom I had held as the person I felt loyal to the most, could split that. Louie had lost that title and now, it was split between Jimmy and Captain Englehorn. But I knew it would always come down to Jimmy.

I stood up, glazing sadly at the body and I held the hat in my hands.

Now that I stare at his cold face, I wondered if there was more to him than I knew. There probably was, no doubt. But I would not pester anyone for details; I shall never do that on purpose. Captain Englehorn didn't even know that most of his crew was dead. He didn't know that his first mate laid dead on a root, that his chef/barber was eaten alive and sat in the bellies of these worms in the bottom of muck; that almost all of his men laid dead somewhere on this island. Jimmy probably couldn't cope with me asking those questions so soon; I wasn't sure if he was still in shock that his father figure was dead.

I sighed heavily and brought the hat close to my chest. I stood up and whipped around. Goodbye, Mr. Hayes, I thought again. Then I burst through the trees and started to race with all my might. I ran for Mr. Hayes, I ran for Lumpy and Choy, I ran for Herb and Mike, I ran for every man that died here. I ran for the living men calling to me and I ran for the gift that I had in my hands.

I threw myself onto the wall, sticking the hat into my mouth, and started to climb. My thoughts rushed to the wall where I was almost eaten alive but that only made me move faster. I barely took an acknowledgment of the pain in my hands, the screaming in my muscles or the gunshots being shot past me. I ignored the bugs that flew past me; ether they were dead or they were still squirming for life. I took none of it except for the sunlight I was starting to see and the green I was starting to see.

They pulled up Preston before me, since he was above me. Wait, Preston? I shook my head, wondering how in heck he was able to live. Then I suddenly remembered the body I thought I had seen that got caught in the vines. How the bugs didn't notice him or take care of him, I don't know. Then I decided it was luck. Sheer luck.

I felt Captain Englehorn's hands grasp my wrist and other arms shot to grab me. They pulled me up the last few feet and my feet scrapped on the wall, trying to ease the strain on their arms. But when I got up, I stood there blankly. Captain Englehorn glanced at me and I shook my head, pulling the cap behind my back. He walked pass me and I saw Carl being pulled up by another man.

"Oh thank god," Carl whispered.

"Don't thank god, thank Mr. Baxter. He insisted on a rescue mission," Captain Englehorn said to Carl.

I glanced at Bruce Baxter being pulled up. He met my eyes and I gave him a respectful nod. He merely looked at me before breaking our stare and pulling himself all the way up. I wandered towards the fringe of the group, watching the men. They were all out of breath completely. Their chests rose and fell to catch their breath. But Captain Englehorn spoke again and it was to Carl again.

"That's the thing about cockroaches. No matter how many times you flushed them down the toilet, they always crawl back up the bowl."

I glazed up at Captain Englehorn and he did not meet my eyes. He was staring at Carl. Carl got up and as he leaned against some roots, he spoke back to the captain.

"Hey buddy, I'm out of the bowl. I'm drying off my wings and trekking across the lid."

"That's enough about bugs. Keep talking about 'em and I will find the strength-and will- to push you off that edge. Then you both can meet your pretty little bugs," I spat angrily.

I was shaking and I gripped a tree tightly, trying to steady myself. I could feel the tears suddenly well up in my eyes and I quickly fought them away. They disappeared as I met Captain Englehorn's stare and then Carl's hard glare. I shrugged it off, waving a hand at them both. I pushed myself off the tree and just started to lean on it. My hands mashed the hat, crumpling it and then straighten it out.

"I don't think you could do that, Lucy," Carl snarled back at me.

I could feel the hatred, angry and aggression boil in the pit of my stomach towards this man. I remembered the words I spoke to him before we had set out on this godforsaken rescue party.

"Maybe not to the captain, _Carl_ but I'm sure I'm strong enough to give you a nice shove. " I snapped back at him.

Then I plunked back down the rock, bowed my head and sat there. There was another moment of quiet before I heard scrambling of feet. Knowing that it couldn't be anyone on this side, I glazed up on the other side.

Jack climbed up and onto the other side's edge. He turned to face us.

"Driscoll!" Captain Englehorn shouted out to Jack.

"Don't be a fool! Give it up; it's useless! She's dead."

Captain Englehorn's voice softened a bit near the end. A small breeze ruffled through the forest as I made my decision to follow Jack. I stood up and heard Carl speak up. I stuffed the hat into my pocket as I looked at him, hoping no one noticed it.

"No, she's not dead."

Captain Englehorn turned to face Carl, watching him wearily.

"Jack's gonna bring her back. And the ape will be hard on his heels. We can still come out of this okay… more than okay." Carl said.

Captain Englehorn looked at him but I started to see the desperation in his face. Don't you dare listen to him, Captain! I shouted in my mind. But I merely bit my bottom lip and chewed it. They are pretty stupid to discuss this around me and I've come to realize that eavesdropping did not weight heavy on my conscience anymore.

"Think about. You've got a whole boatload of chloroform you could put to good use."

Carl's tone was hushed but cold and greedy.

"You want to trap the ape?" Captain Englehorn whispered back to him.

Out of all responses that I thought of and what I thought he would respond with, the captain started to laugh. I suddenly smiled, happily to hear something other than sobs or screeches of wild animals.

"I don't think so." As soon as the captain started laughing, he stopped and when he said this, his voice was suddenly cold. I hoped it felt like a whip to Carl, a cold, logical whip.

"Isn't that what you do? Live animal capture? I heard you were the best."

Carl stared the Captain right in the eye.

Captain Englehorn looked back at him and a frown appeared on his face. Then he looked down and didn't meet Carl's face. I snarled angrily and I saw the captain's eyes try to lock on with mine. But I was already heading towards the side.

"Jack," Carl called across the ravine. No one took notice as I inched towards the ravine's side and slowly picked up a vine. Jack stopped walking and turned to face us; I couldn't see and read his face from here.

"Look after yourself." Carl's voice didn't sound comforting or warm; it was deceiving. I narrowed my eyes angrily and gripped the vine tighter.

"Keep the gate open, will ya?" Jack asked him back.

"Sure thing, buddy. Good luck." Carl answered him.

I watched as Jack nodded his head. We all stood watching him as he turned back and started to run through the tunnel. I gripped the vine tightly and a wild battle was tearing through my mind.

"Lucy… where are you going?" Captain Englehorn's voice was rough.

I didn't answer him as I thought over it. Should I stay here, leave Jack to face that giant ape alone? To come with my captain, Jimmy and the idiot Carl- I knew what they were going to do and it could kill us all. It would kill us all.

"Maybe that should be my question to you, Captain," I said, turning to face him.

My voice was hard. I liked the sound of it; the resistance in it gave me hope and confidence.

"No, no, that's not my question. My question: are you all insane?" My voice dropped to a whisper at the last sentence. Captain Englehorn stared at me and I couldn't read his face, understand the strange emotion in his eyes.

I shook my head sadly and started to climb down. I gripped the vine tightly and slowly lowered myself, trying not to imagine what falling would feel like.

"Lucy, what are you doing?"

The captain's question echoed to me. I looked up to see some men looking down at me.

"I'm going after Jack," I stated bluntly and continued down.

"Get back up here," he said.

I stopped moving, my muscles twitching. I tore my glaze from theirs and started to stare at the wall in front of me. I stared at it, ticking off the seconds in my head till Captain Englehorn spoke again.

"Get back up here, Lucy," he ordered coldly.

I glazed back up at him, directing into his eyes. I didn't say anything but I didn't move ether. I was a bit scared of what he'd do or what he could possibly do. But he only returned my hard stare with one of his own.

"Oh, just leave the girl there. If she wants to get eaten, let her."

Carl's voice was dismissive when he spoke. I could picture him gesturing his hand at me, to live me behind. That was all I needed to suddenly pull myself back up, ignoring the men standing to my side and I stomped over to him. He whipped around to face me, completely taken off guard.

"I'm losing my patience with you, Carl Denham. I know I am not the only one! But it seems I'll have to be the one to make you connect back with reality." I snarled and then recoiled a bit, letting my words soak in.

He stared at me and I spoke up again.

"Should I remind you of have many men have died because you brought us here?"

"Mike, that other man with you when you came here, Herb, four men in the stampede, Mr. Hayes, Choy, at least three or two men falling or getting eaten, Lumpy… wait I've already lost count! You wanna know why?" I hissed at him.

He glared back at me and said nothing.

"I don't have enough fingers, Carl. More than ten men have died on your part! And you don't care at all! Have you lost your sanity- look. At. Me. When. I'm. Talking. To. You."

He had let his eyes wander away and that had set me loose. The anger flooded my body and coursed through my veins. I wanted to push him off the edge now. I could do it now. But I would not be responsible for his death; no one would hold me, as a hero and I would rather sit back and watch Carl die than do it myself.

"You should have been the one to get smashed up against a wall or crushed beneath those grey creatures' feet! You should have been the one eaten by those hunters! You should have been the one whom was almost crushed by that ape- hell; you should have been the one to be thrown against the wall! But you aren't, Carl Denham and I wonder how you survive. I wonder how you are able to cope with the thought of all these men dying because of you!"

I was fuming and I realized I was trembling. I wasn't trembling from fear but from anger; it took every amount of will not to pull my knife on this man. He should be left here to fend for himself!

"Well? Or are you too coward to speak up?" I hissed at him.

There was a long silence and everyone stared at him. Carl glanced nervously at the men around me. I hadn't realized that Captain Englehorn hovered a yard behind me. Carl looked at Preston but when he didn't meet his eyes, Carl turned back to me.

"I know I don't have to listen to you." He stated.

I stared dumbfounded as he strode into the forest. He walked about a couple of yards in when I had lost it. My sanity broke at that point and I was racing after him before no one could stop me. I tackled him to ground, held his shirt collar and snapped a nice good punch into his jaw. Before I could land another hit, I was yanked off him. But I wasn't done with Carl Denham; I pulled out my knife and immediately any man whom had tried getting me off Carl, disappeared.

Carl sat on the ground, rubbing his jaw before he saw my knife. He scrambled up, staggering backwards. I breathed heavily through my nostrils and mouth, panting almost, hoping that I was intimidating him. That I did look like that I would slice his throat open any moment now…

"Lucy! Put that weapon away!" The captain ordered.

I lowered my knife but still clutched it with a shaking hand. The anger flooded my body and it left a bitter taste on my tongue. It left a dark, evil cloud over my mind and all my eyes were locked on Carl in front of me.

"Why? Tell me five good reasons that we shouldn't kill this man now!" I whipped around to face my captain, my eyes wide.

The captain stared back at me and did not answer me. But his hard stare met my own glare and we stared each other down, hoping that the other would give up. But I spoke first through clenched teeth.

"Why?"

"Because I ordered you." Captain Englehorn's voice was hard and very cold.

Then I shoved my knife back into its holder, tore off the little strap and threw it at his feet. There was a moment of silence as everyone realized what I had done. Captain Englehorn picked it up slowly and rose back up before I spoke.

"Take it back! I have no need for it anymore."

I straightened my back up, lifted my head higher and started to walk. I shoved my way past Carl, giving him a good push from my shoulder. He staggered and I could feel his dagger glare on the back of my head.

"Stop Lucy." he ordered.

I whipped around and stared Captain Englehorn dead in the eye. All the anger washed away now and exhaustion set in. I didn't want to say this; I felt like I knew I would regret it later. It would pain me each time I would stare at this man after I say this. But I said it anyway.

"You're not my captain and a man I take orders from… if you take orders from the likes of him." I pointed at Carl. There was another minute before I started to trudge through the jungle once again. I heard soft footsteps but there was a quiet voice telling them to stop and they halted. I didn't allow myself to look back; I already knew Jimmy had stopped walking towards me and stood in front of Englehorn.


	23. Seeing Ann Darrow Again

**A big, big thank you all my reviewers!**

As turns out, I just have a cold, hehe:3 So Updates will come back slowly. And yes, I have technically (_finally!_) finished the story on my computer. The epilogue, no matter how my I loathe ending my stories, sequel or not, is finished... and I have just started writing/typing the first chapter. It'll take a while, maybe another week or even more to get a good handle on the story, a nice steady beat in which I need to go on with a story.

But to make it easier for everyone, I'll post the first chapter of the sequel probably the day after I finish this story- just so you all know once I start updating it, since I really won't do that until I'm in the later (double digits) chapters, which may not be for a while. I'll give you the title once I decide on the selected few I have come up with. But I am open for brain storming! If you do have an idea, I will gladly read it! Ether put it in your review or PM me! Thanks again everyone, my reviewers especially- you rock!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

We arrived back at the stonewall and I took no notice of any of the men staring at me. Filthy, bloody and beaten down, that's what I had been reduced too. A pathetic, angry, sad girl who is way above her head. I kept walking till I saw the tunnel where we came through.

I remembered stepping onto the island the first time, feeling the frightened shiver rush through my body. Now, I would feel that when I would get back on the ship. I relocated my rock in which I had sat on and watched the men load their guns, getting ready to rescue Ann.

I threw myself down and went to my hands. I ignored Englehorn's orders to the men, getting all their capture weapons ready and setting up the traps. I was glad to see that Jimmy hovered on the edge. I glanced over my shoulder and saw him heading towards me. I whipped back to stare at the rock below me.

"How you doing?" he whispered to me.

He sat down next to me and our arms brushed. I shivered but shrugged.

"What's in… what is in your pocket?"

Curiosity sat on his tongue and dripped in his words. I glazed up at him but felt my hand pull the hat out.

"Remember when I raced… to-to the other side of the ravine?"

He nodded, staring at me. His eyes bulged when I picked off the little invisible specks of dirt off the hat; he knew what I had found without me saying.

"I figured you would want it," I murmured.

I placed the hat in his hands and I saw tears well up in his eyes. But he pushed them away with a small shake of his head and a sniff of his nose.

"Th-thank…" He shook his head again and tried to cover his face. But I saw the tears roll down his cheeks anyway. I leaned against him, knowing that we were unseen by most of the men.

"It'll be all right, Jimmy," I whispered.

He didn't answer me so I pulled back. I watched him pull the hat on and gradually his eyes stared into mine. I bowed my head, guessing on what question hung on his tongue. I held my head in my upturned palms and I sighed quietly. But then I felt his hand crawl up my arm and he pulled my left hand from underneath my head. He gingerly brushed my bandage; instead of holding my hand, he interlocked our fingers together.

"It'll be all right, Lucy," he repeated back at me and he gave me a sad smile

I grinned, blushing a rosy pink. I glanced at the hat and smiled a bit brighter.

"It looks good on you," I murmured and I watched his small grin turn into a happier smile.

"Thank you, Lucy," he said.

I gave a small nod, acknowledging his thanks. I heard his name get called and so did Jimmy. His smile faded but his eyes remained locked onto mine. He gave my fingers a hearty squeeze before his slipped away from mine.

"I'll be back," he whispered before he got up and walked away.

I was once again left alone my pitiful, sorrowful rock. I started to scrape it with my very short fingernails and hunched my back. I sat there for long moments, hearing the footsteps of the men as they set up. I wondered why Englehorn would listen to Carl but I didn't want to dwell on those two people. I jumped to the thought of us getting off this island. We'd leave many people behind, yes, but they fought to get Ann back and I knew Jack was doing that. I could almost hear them calling…

"Carl!"

"Please! Somebody help us!" Ann's voice made my heart sink.

My blood froze and I whipped around. They were calling us! They were on the other side of that bridge and calling to Carl. I looked around; I saw him standing near the rope that held the bridge up. Preston stood about a few feet to the side and there was a man with a knife out, holding it near the rope and waiting for Carl's cue. Jimmy stood to Preston's right, his eyes switching between Preston, Carl and the gate.

Let them in! I yelled in my head. I could hear the angry roars of the ape and I scrambled up, my eyes widening at the wall.

"Drop the bridge! Do it now for Christ's sake!" Preston voice was angry but also scared.

"Not yet," Carl said to Preston. He raised his hand to stop Preston from speaking anymore.

"Wait… wait," Carl kept holding his hand up to the men, making sure they stayed where they were.

"You wait any longer and they'll be dead!" I hissed angrily but no one took notice.

Preston started to rush to him again but Carl said, "Wait!" louder.

Preston stared at Carl before he did something I didn't expect from him. With a cry, he swiped the knife away from the man, shoved that man out of the way and cut the rope. In the flurry, the rope broke and whipped him in the face. My hand shot to the healed wound I had below my eye. We could possibly match now.

Everyone glanced at him then turned their attention to where the noise of the bridge hitting the other side, came from.

"We're dead," I murmured.

I felt my eyes bulge when I saw the two racing through the gate. I didn't meet the eyes of Ann as she looked over the men of the Venture. She wore a filthy nightgown and her face was quite dirty. But her eyes still had their intelligence in their depths and I sighed quietly.

I was afraid she would have been hit in the head and forgot everything. I have read about that happening many times and how this ended up a sad story, since many times so many people died or became heart-broken because of that character's forgotten memory.

Carl walked by her, his face completely ignoring hers and he was striding towards the gate. Englehorn carried a crate of chloroform with him, walking behind Carl. Englehorn set down the crate and grabbed a giant bottom of the nasty liquid. She turned her stare to Preston. He sat leaning against a rock, holding a soaked cloth to his wound. The fabric was almost all red and his fingers were stained the same bright red color. Bruce Baxter glanced nervously at her, holding his gun but then looked back to the gate.

Many other men sat in their positions, holding their guns or clutching a bundle of rope. But also many of them had this claw-hooks gripped tightly in their hands. Many men held those claw-hooks, more than I had expected. Others behind them, held that rope that was attached to the claw-hooks, in their hands and a few more men were scaling up the hill of stone, rushing to their positions. I watched as her eyes slowly took this all in. I watched her as the pieces of the puzzles clicked into place. I turned my face away from her, shadowing it.

The ape smashed through the gates, roaring on top of his lungs. He landed on his four legs, panting angrily. I watched him as he made eye contact with Ann. She was clutched to the chest of a terrified Jack and her eyes were wide with fright.

"Now!" Englehorn cried.

Suddenly, claw-hooks were thrown into the air and onto the giant ape. Ropes were thrown around his front wrists and pulled tightly by five men at least. Some of the claw-hooks soared over his back and other men caught those, pulling them down.

"No!" Ann cried.

Men dared go closer and now the claw-hooks dug into the ape's skin. I could hear his tough hide tearing and he roared furiously. More claw-hooks dug into his shoulders and I slowly watched in a daze, as the creature was being pulled down. I saw Jack rush to Carl's side, whom was supervising.

"Are you out of your mind?" Jack yelled but Carl ignored him.

I turned my attention back to the ape. He was pulling the men and I could see their feet scraping along the ground, trying to keep grounded. Then I saw Englehorn throw the first bottle of chloroform. It landed right in front of the ape and burst into a white puff of smoke. The men pulled the creature onto one of his arms and I saw him take deep breaths of the smoke.

"Stop!" Ann cried again. She slowly started to struggle against Jack but he held her back tightly.

My body started to tremble as the creature tried to pull back, bellowing. He slowly was getting back onto his feet much to the amazement of Englehorn. I could see it on his face.

"Keep him down!" Englehorn yelled.

There was a movement way up high, near the top of the wall. I saw the two giant boulders come flying down and between them, a giant rope net. It landed straight on the ape's back, the boulders falling to his side. The suddenly weight threw him down to the ground. He groaned, falling completely to the ground. The white smoke was still and the ape was struggling to turn his head away from the smoke.

But still he breathed it in.

"Please!" Ann yelled again.

Englehorn had another bottle and he was about to throw it when suddenly, Ann was holding back his arm. At first he tried to just whip her off but she was stronger than she looked. Jack rushed to her up from behind.

"Get her out of here!" Englehorn yelled at Jack, shoving off Ann with a mighty push. The ape roared weakly. I could feel the itch to run away in my legs again.

"No!" Ann said but Jack had already wrapped his arms around her and was dragging her with him.

"There's nothing we can do!" He told her.

Jimmy watched them too. I could see it broke him a little bit to see these two like this, especially Ann. I wasn't sure why she was so bonded with this ape; when I looked at him and I saw a wild, feral beast. But then I remembered looking into his deep, yellow-orange eyes. There was an intelligent gleam in his eyes and maybe… I glanced at Jimmy and he met my eyes wearily. I stood only two or three yards away from him. Jack and Ann, still struggling against Jack's hold, stood in between us.

Carl and Englehorn stood in front of me.

"Throw it!" Carl shouted.

Englehorn had another bottle and he threw it with a mighty toss. It landed right below the ape and he roared as some of the liquid squirted in his eyes. He tried to turn away but the men pulled tighter on the ropes, forcing his face into the smoke. He groaned again, trying once more to turn away.

I glanced at Jack and Ann.

"Get off me!" She snarled at Jack and shoved him off.

I raised my eyes in surprise; I never expected for her to be such a fighter and resister. She glared at Jack before the man rushed to her again, wrapping his arms protectively around her.

"Ann," he spoke.

I watched him as he started to pull Ann along again, easily beating her furious struggles. He dragged him and her towards this small path between the spears that poked out of the ground. My body started to tremble as I watched them; my neck hair rose straight up and I felt the instinct to flee rise inside me.

"Let me go!" She yelled.

I glanced back at the ape to see his eyes land on the fighting Ann and struggling Jack. I could hear Jack's voice trying to comfort her but no avail. Seeing the open space between Jimmy and I, I raced to his side and intertwined his hand into mine. He immediately squeezed down and I could deal with the stinging the pressure from it if it meant I wasn't going to be separated from him.

The ape started to tremble and then he roared angrily, baring these giant yellow-white teeth. He reared up and the men that clung to the ropes that once held this beast down flew into the air. They were whipped around, tossed over his back and thrown to the side. Many fell and many others collided into the walls.

"Kill it!" Englehorn gave the order.

Jimmy dropped my hand and he pulled out his gun. I assumed he was given a fully loaded, new one. He pointed it at the creature and I saw he was shaking slightly, along with the gun. The only thought that raced through my mind was to get out of here but I wasn't about to leave without Jimmy.

"No, no!" Carl said, grabbing frantically at Englehorn's arm.

"It's over! You got that, lunatic!"

He beat Carl's arm off his and shoved Carl off him. Then Carl, realizing how stupid it would be to fight him and stand there, took off running. Jimmy lowered his gun, grabbed my hand and dragged him behind him. He raced after Carl and I heard Englehorn call out: "All of you- run!" Then I started to hear Englehorn's heavy footfalls behind us and knew he was right on our tails.

I heard the ape's mighty roars and it hurt my ears. I wanted to drop Jimmy's hand, stop and cover my ears and scream because my mind was in such a panicked state. The ape tore through the Native's village like nothing! I heard rocks smashing into each other and I knew he had broken free of the net.


	24. Eighth Wonder of the World

**Thank all of my reviewers for reviewing! I adore you all for it! **And now I find it funny when reviews were stuck on numbers that end in '9' because I saw a story once that only had 99 reviews and it was completed (the date I think was from 2009) and I felt bad for the author! But anyways, these isn't that last chapter because I know most of my readers have guessed by the chapter title by now what is going to happen and/or they know what is going to happen from great memory of the movie (it takes a few views for me to have good memory:3)... repeat, this is not the last chapter.

Now that probably most of you have only read that underlined statement, lol I know you did (don't take this badly, by the way), please enjoy this chapter! And leave a review if you can!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"Keep up Lucy!" Jimmy whispered and I felt a strong tug on my arm. I started to run faster, feeling hysteria trying to set in. It bubbled in my mind and stomach but it also gave me the adrenaline I need to keep running. We were racing through the tunnel between the Native's village and were the boats sat.

There was a giant light and I saw the mouth of the tunnel come into view. I felt my legs lengthen their stride and slowly I was passing Jimmy. But something told my legs to slow down and once again, I came in step with him. Jack and Ann was right ahead of us, Carl only a couple of feet ahead of us and Englehorn and a few others were right behind us.

I heard a roar. Ann paused, whipping around to face the other direction of the tunnel. But Jack pulled on her arm violently and she turned around, running with him again. There were shouts from the men sitting in the two boats, waving their hands for us to get to them. There were encouraging, panicked and wild shouts all around me.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw two men stop; they started to shoot the ape. But they only got a few shots before he lifted his arm and crushed them against the wall. Jack and Ann rushed into the first boat with another man. Two other ones jumped into the other boat. I saw Ann struggling to turn around, fighting against Jack. Baxter, whom must have been running with us, was pulling her into the boat.

"Take her!" Jack told him. Baxter nodded, wrapping his hands around Ann's thin waist and pulling her in.

"Please! It's me, he wants! Please, stop it!" She tried to fight but she was no match for two grown men.

"Hold onto her! Ann, go!" Jack told Baxter again and he looked at Ann before Baxter was able to pull her into the boat.

"Please!" She cried weakly but I saw the strength failing from her eyes.

Jimmy and I skidded to a stop; Jimmy dropped my hand and I started to help push the boats out. Many men I didn't know, jumped into the second one and were getting ready to launch. They were pulling out oars like lighting.

I raced over to Ann's boat and I tried to untie the ropes but my bloody, shaking hands wouldn't allow it. Suddenly, suntan, rough hands shoved mine off and threw off the ropes. I looked up at Englehorn and mouthed thank-you at him.

I saw Preston slip into the first boat without a second glance if Carl was behind him.

"Get Ann out of here!" Captain Englehorn ordered the men and with me next to him, we pushed off the boat.

Ann fought against Baxter's hold but she wasn't able to get anywhere. I pulled myself back as Englehorn slid in, whipping around to face me. But I gave the boat another push before I turned away from them; I felt the water soak through my pants leg and soak my shoes. I could hear Englehorn calling me, hitting the boat in fury but I didn't take notice of him. I was racing towards Jimmy, who was holding his gun and pointing at the incoming ape.

"Come on!" Jimmy challenged.

Jack reached him before I did and grabbed Jimmy.

Jack dragged Jimmy into the second boat and they both jumped in. I realized I was the only standing in the opening and I turned to face the tunnel. The black ape was a giant, furry shadow racing closer. Carl raced past him and leapt into the second boat, whipping to face the oncoming beast.

"Row! Row goddamnit!" Englehorn's ordered the men on his boat. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing that the first boat (the one with Englehorn, Ann and Baxter) was further out in the water. I wouldn't make it to them if I tried to jump the distance.

"Lucy!" Jimmy cried and I turned on my heel and threw myself into the boat. I was caught by him and steadied before I sat in the boat. Picking up an oar, I shoved it in the water and tried to row us out of here.

I saw an Asian man, whom appeared to be the last man running, turned to face the ape. He started to shoot but was immediately picked up by the ape. I winced as I saw the ape tear off his head and then throw the body against the wall of the tunnel, along with spitting the head out. The ape jumped into the water; he became out a yard or so away from us.

I glanced back at the first boat, staring at Ann, Englehorn and Baxter. Then I whipped back to face the ape. Carl reached for a bottle and I noticed a box of chloroform. I made a second-long eye contact with him before I dropped my stare; now was not the time to tell him how stupid, arrogant, greedy and all the other nasty things he was.

I heard Jimmy start to yell and shoot at the ape. Jack jumped at him, trying to take the gun away. I dropped my oar, throwing it overboard and rushed to their side. Carl slowly picked up the bottle behind me, clutching it in his hands.

"Jimmy! No!" Jack yelled, trying to push the boy down. I grabbed weakly at Jimmy's other arm and tried to do the same but I couldn't move him. Suddenly, the ape raised his fist and dropped it right onto the boat. I glanced back at Carl, whom was flown in the air and landed away from us.

I turned back to the ape. I saw his hand clutch the front of the boat and whip it. Everything else happened in a blur. One moment, I was standing in the boat and staring at the ape. A moment later, a giant wall was flying towards me and the third moment, burning salt-water flooded my lungs and stung in my eyes.

I tried to swim up but it was useless. The current was too strong for me.

I closed my eyes, trying to go against the instinct to open my mouth and breathe. I saw the happy Venture crewmen dancing, Ann's happy laughter rung in my ears. Jimmy's bright, ear-to-ear grin glowed in my eyes. I could feel the small rushes of winds as the air brushed and touched my skin. It was gentle and caressing.

I closed my eyes, diving deeper into my happy memories.

I remembered meeting Englehorn for the first time; oh, how scared I was! I trembled before him like a scared puppy to a guard dog! Yes, I forgive him now; for everything. I could never stay mad at him for so long; he was my father figure like Jimmy had with Mr. Hayes.

The thought made me smile and I felt my lips grin; yes, forgiving Captain Englehorn made this a bit better and Jimmy's bright memory also. But I felt the pressure of water enter my mouth and I stopped. I switched to another happy memory of reading to Jimmy that one night, made my heart skip a beat. I could remember his blue eyes and how they were always so honest. Sometimes it made him vulnerable but I loved him still.

I thought I heard calls from above and slowly opened my eyes. They were flooded with water but I could only tell because they closed. I moved my fingers and I heard it again.

"Lucy!"

It was a mix of voices, I think. They were in despair; they were dripped in sadness and depression. I opened my eyes once more, squinting in hopes that not too much water rushed to them. For a moment, I didn't want to go towards the top water above me. My shoulder hurt greatly and floating down here, I was barely aware of the pain dimming on me. The voices came again then suddenly; I saw a hand shoot out to reach towards me. I saw a flash of Jimmy's soaked clothes and suddenly I was swimming up.

My bloody hands stung and burned; my eyes screamed against them being open and my limbs felt heavy. But I swam upward anyway and reached towards the hand. My lungs suddenly fluttered and my heart started to slow down; I didn't have enough oxygen to make it. I would die in the thing I loved so dearly; the sea had finally become my enemy and no longer my friend.

But I gave one more pump of my legs and stretched my arm up. I felt my fingers brush his and suddenly, my hand was screaming in pain as he grabbed it. Jimmy pulled me up. I gasped and coughed, taking deep breaths of the air. My hand slipped from Jimmy's and I panicked. Swimming as fast as I could, I swam after Jack whom was dragging Jimmy with him.

Glancing at the first boat, I saw Captain Englehorn pull out a weapon. It looked like a harpoon of some sort. He pointed it at the ape and Ann tugged at his arm again, trying to stop him. Her screams were in cries of no's and stops; a terrified tone was in them for everyone to hear. Captain Englehorn merely shoved her back and he shot the weapon directly at the beats. There was a roar that erupted from the ape. A long, painful roar. The harpoon had planted itself in his leg. Captain Englehorn started to load another one and I noticed Carl crawling onto a giant rock form.

"Wait!" Carl cried to the captain. Ann started to beat Captain Englehorn's arm furiously and yelled, "Don't!" to him. But the captain reloaded the second harpoon anyway. He lifted it and pointed it at the ape.

The ape crawled towards the boat and slowly started to inch by the rock form Carl stood on. Carl, still clutching the bottle of chloroform, whipped it at the ape. The bottle landed right in his face and splintered into a million pieces. The ape snorted, trying to rid his nostrils of the white smoke. But it had made a direct target and he was going down.

The ape pawed at his face, groaning. He looked up and I glanced at Ann, my eyes darting back and forth between them. The ape gave one small wheeze before he fell into the water, a giant splash that sent me under for a moment before I resurfaced.

Ann was crying and her head was bowed. Tears welled in my own eyes and I started to cry. Swimming over to Jack and Jimmy, I clutched the rock with my hands. I pressed my face into and my body shuddered as the sobs ripped through me. Giant pieces of seaweed brushed up against me.

Jack held the unconscious Jimmy close. I stretched my arm to his, gripping Jimmy's hand tightly. I knew Jimmy was alive because I could see his chest rose weakly but he was barely alive. My shoulder was sore and tender; I knew I probably had smashed up against the wall pretty good.

I looked up, glazing at Carl. I could see the sunset in the distance and saw the _Venture_ floating. I glanced back at Carl, whom stood victoriously on top of the rock formation.

"The whole world would pay to see this," he murmured. Then he turned to us.

"We're millionaires, boys. I'll share it with all of ya! In a few months, his name will be up in lights on Broadway! Kong- the eighth wonder of the world!" He shouted.

I glazed up at him, shaking my head. I pulled myself out of the water, crawling onto the rock. I finally started to feel the bleeding and I knew my shoulder had lost some skin. I looked down at Jack; feeling more tears run down my face. He merely glanced back up at me and I slid back into the water. A black cap floated by me and I scooped it up without thinking; no doubt in my mind said it was Mr. Hayes' hat. With holding the unconscious Jimmy between us, we swam towards the boat and got in. I had the hat safely stuffed in my pocket, hidden from view.


	25. The Sail Home

**Thank you ograndebata & JainaZekk621 for the wonderful reviews!**

I just realized how long it had been since I updated and also- that I only have three chapters, counting the epilogue, till the end of this story. And I have about one whole chapter done for the sequel. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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I spoke to no one and no one spoke to me. I guarded Jimmy's wet body like a dog and his last bone. After a while, no man dared to come near me and soon the men left us alone in a corner of the boat. I sat next to the boy, stroking his hand unstopping. I took it as my duty to help out when they helped him onto the boat. I didn't say anything to answer any of their questions.

"I'll take care of him," was all I said and I told them to put him in one of the empty cabins. Somehow, the crew was able to fit Kong in the cages and I had no need to be that close to the creature. So I decided to take up furthest cabin away from everyone down below.

I wondered if Lumpy had gotten rid of all of his tools in medicine. I hoped not but I was pretty sure I could scramble up something to help ease Jimmy's discomfort. I didn't know much about medicine but I had a very basic idea for small cuts and wounds but that was about has far as my knowledge went. As the men lowered him onto the mattress, I came down the stairs and walked through the doors.

"You all can leave… now," I stated quietly.

The men glanced at me and then among each other. But I raised my glaze and met them in the eyes each. They bowed their heads from my deep glaze and trudged up. Captain Englehorn stayed behind.

"Lou…"

"I'm fine, thank you. Also… I'm sorry," I murmured and bowed my head.

Captain Englehorn didn't answer but I heard his heavy boots walk towards me. A warm hand lay on my shoulder and I whipped around. Captain Englehorn gave my shoulder a good squeeze, looked me in the eyes and then gave me a respectable nod. I returned it with one of my own. He dropped his hand and left silently.

I watched him disappear and waited till I couldn't hear his footsteps before I sighed. I pulled out Mr. Hayes' hat and wrung the water out; it made a tiny puddle in the middle of the room. Ignoring it, I placed it on a chair in the corner of the room to dry.

I sat down on the ground, leaning against the bed and closing my eyes. I felt the same, gentle sway of the _Venture_ start up and we began to move. I felt my muscles relax and I sank into a deep sleep.

I woke up and it was dark outside. I got up, stretched and glanced through a small window. A blanket of pitch black was over us and I narrowed my eyes. Only then was I able to make out the little stars that sprinkled the sky. They were dim but they were there. Only a day and a half ago, I would have raced out to see the sky. But not now. I glanced outside again before I went back to Jimmy's side.

I sat back down and took up the spot I had just gotten up from. I noticed a small pile of dry clothing and I shivered, realizing mine were still quite damp. I picked up the clothing, realizing they were almost identical to what I was suppose to be wearing. At least they didn't try to figure out if Ann could spare any of her clothes to me.

I noticed another pile of clothing for Jimmy and I couldn't help but snicker. Still grinning quietly, I picked up another blanket and threw it over him. I hope his clothing were drier than mine.

I swiftly grabbed my pair and dashed off to the bathroom. After locking the door behind me, I stared in the mirror as the boat swayed quietly. I gingerly touched my scar underneath my eye. It was long and thin; but I noticed something else. It was paling out too and there for, after it healed completely, it would be only visible close up. The discovery made me smiled and I went onto my shoulder.

Ripping off the sleeve and part of the cloth that covered up my shoulder, I threw those pieces of my old shirt to the ground. I examined the wound carefully. Dried blood surrounded it and a small piece of seaweed actually sat near it. I made a face as I peeled it off and flicked it away with a flick of my finger.

Most of the skin was just scrapped away, like how my hands were. But my shoulder wasn't as bad. Of course, it bled but it wasn't worse than my hands and this wound appeared it would only leave one long scar. I frowned, grabbed some gauze that I had stashed in a secret hiding spot and bandaged up my shoulder the best as I could. After patting it down with a few winces and groans, it clung tightly to my skin and I admired my handy-work. My bandaging was getting better; I'll have to go through the crew and help them out.

After examining the rest of my body and nothing but bruises and little scrapes, I pulled on my new clothes. They had to be Jimmy's clothing because they were actually close to my original side. I glanced back in the mirror, giving a small smile. I saw a dead light in my eyes and my smile was sad and depressed. I shook my head, turning away from the cracked the mirror.

I unwrapped my hands and winced at the sight. They were covered in dirt, grime and blood. Lots of dirty gore, I thought. Carefully washing away the filth, I got a better view of them. They were all sliced up but the wounds weren't too deep. There wasn't any fresh, tender pink skin and I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. I turned my attention back to the wounds. The cuts were deep enough to scar and stay permanently but I could deal with that. But some of the cuts were still bleeding so I took up some more gauze and tore some clean pieces of fabric off my shirt; I bandaged them up again and then wrapped my palms in gauze. Hopefully that'll keep any infection or dirt out of them.

I glanced around the bathroom and noticed something sitting in the sink.

I saw the scissors and I smiled to myself. My hair was becoming too long now. With a few master-worthy snips, I had my hair back to its short length again. It probably looked so odd when it was that short so I allowed myself to leave it a few centimeters longer than normal. Someday, maybe in a month or so, I'll let Jimmy see it when it's long.

Mother always said it looked better longer but then she counteracted that statement with saying that short hair looked more natural on me. Mother… my thoughts wandered off to home. What would they say? Louie would be in happy hysterics that I came back; he always deemed the negative more logical and more likely to happen so he probably assumed that I had died or was never coming back. Mother, I think, would be in tears because I was back. She wouldn't try to act mad or angry; she'd be too teary eyed to do so. Father…

I wasn't sure how'd he react so I didn't try to think of it.

I picked up what was left of my clothing; there were no sleeves left from tearing them so I could use them as bandages or as I just did, examine the wounds on my back. May as well get rid of them, I thought. I snuck back into the cabin, closing the door with a tiny click. Tossing the clothing into a corner near the bed, I turned around to see Jimmy still lying on the bed, unmoved.

I sighed and lowered myself next to the bed, leaning against so I could see his face. Once again, my thoughts drifted. Suddenly, it plucked an odd memory out and my mind replayed it.

I set down the bag with _Heart of Darkness_ inside it then me getting myself trapped on the log and leaving my bad behind, unable to rescue it. I sighed unhappily and glanced up at Jimmy.

"I'm sorry, Jim… I left it there by accident…_Heart of Darkness_…" I shook my head at my foolish move.

"But didn't we not want to hear no more dark stories?" I whispered, pausing for a response. Maybe I really did get sick in the jungle; maybe I lost my sanity since I was talking to an unconscious boy. I stared at Jimmy before I turned to watch the wall.

I didn't say anything more. I leaned against the bed and once more, I felt my eyelids close. I fell asleep again.

I woke up again, still sandy-eyed and tired.

I got up to my window again, peering out with little interest. I slept only for a few hours; the sun was just beginning to rise again. I glanced at the bed and saw Jimmy sitting up.

"Jimmy!" I whispered.

He raised his head and gave me a small grin. I threw my arms around him, embracing him tightly and I felt his arms wrap around my back. I winced as he bumped my sore shoulder and I felt he probably was in pain too. I slipped from his grasp and sat on the bed, watching him roll his shoulders.

He grimaced and stopped immediately, his shoulders slouching and his head hung low. I scooted closer to him, picking up his hand and gently holding it, I intertwined my fingers with his.

"Did… they get him?" he whispered.

I nodded.

"Did… they kill him?"

I paused and looked up at Jimmy. He slowly lifted his glaze to my eyes and I gave the smallest shake of my head.

"No… Carl… No, the ape is… please don't get mad Jimmy," I whispered urgently and gave his hand a squeeze.

He lowered his glaze to our hands and noticed my new bandaging. He slowly started to run his finger over it and didn't say anything. I sighed heavily, gave him one last glance before I spoke.

"Carl… Carl wanted to capture him… and take him back. So… the beast is actually in the cages; Captain Englehorn put all that chloroform to good use… I suppose…" I bowed my head, feeling tears roll down my cheeks.

"Lucy?" Jimmy asked.

"Wh-what?" I turned my head away, using the back of my hand to wipe away the tears.

"Why are you crying?" Jimmy whispered.

"I'm… I'm not crying." I whispered stubbornly back and wished my eyes didn't get so bloodshot if tears well up in my eyes. Jimmy turned my head towards him and he gave me a small smile.

"You're a really bad liar, Lou," he said with a chuckle.

I shook out of his grip and wiped away the rest of the sadness. I glanced at him, trying to imagine if he was hurt. He gave another small grin at me but when I didn't return it, the grin faded off his face.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"… Like I was thrown against a wall…" he said with a small grin.

I gave a quiet chuckle and then looked him in the eye. He shrugged slightly and spoke again.

"Just tired…"

"You were out for at least a day and a half, Jimmy." I told him, trying to figure out if I was correct in my day measurements. He frowned, looking at me and then turned his head towards the ground.

"Oh…"

"You're a terrible liar, Jimmy," I repeated back at him and he flashed me a small grin. I shook my head, puckering my lips so I didn't laugh.

"How do you feel?" I asked again.

"Uh… bad?" He looked at me, confused. I sighed but a smile crept onto my face.

"Sore?"

He nodded.

"Tired?"

He paused, looked at me slyly and then nodded.

"Oh fine, don't take me seriously Jimmy." I growled playfully at him.

He started to smile and then puckered his lips, trying not to laugh. I raised an eyebrow, dropped his hand and cupped mien together in a tight ball. He looked sternly at me and as he tried to pry my fingers apart from each other, he talked.

"Leaving my book back on the island huh? Now the library probably won't ever let me check out again…" He shook his head atme with a small grin on his face.

I blushed, letting him finally open up my hand and hold it again.

"I'm… it's… you were suppose to be unconscious, Jimmy," I said with a playful accusation in my voice.

He shrugged.

"I woke up a little while ago but only heard that part before I fell back asleep."

"So… you were eavesdropping?" I questioned.

He looked up again and stared me right in the eye. I raised an eyebrow, looking back at me with the same stare.

"It's not eavesdropping if you were talking to me," he stated back at me with a smile playing on his lips.

I blushed a deeper shade of red and he laughed lightly. I shot him a lighthearted glare but he continued on to smile.

"You're getting too smart for your own good, Jimmy," I said.

He started to rub my hand with his thumb again, staring absentmindedly as he did so. It felt relaxing and I wondered how he felt right now, what was going through his mind at this moment. Then I remembered the hat. I glanced at the chair and with a sigh of relief I saw it was still there. I got up and quickly swiped it away from the chair, happy to have it dry now.

"It probably hurts to remember now but… I think…"

I shrugged; I didn't finish my sentence as I sat down next to him on bed. He took up my hand again and once again, began to rub little circles into the back of it. He held the hat in a tight fists and I saw he was trembling but he wasn't crying. I leaned against him lightly, hoping that it didn't hurt him too much physically.

"Thank you, Lu-Lucy," he stammered as his hand loosened around the hat.

I took it away from his shaking hand and placed it on his head. A small grin erupted on his face as I fiddled with it till I felt it sat right. I leaned back from it, admiring how it looked handsomely on his head. Jimmy looked shyly at me, a small smile till on his lips.

I looked at me, smiling happily. I glanced around the room, some light flooding through the small window, as the sun got higher in the sky. Then I felt a fingertip brush my cheek. Shivering from his touch, I turned to look at Jimmy. His face turned out to be inches away from mine.

"Lucy," he whispered and leaned in. His lips touched mine gently and I felt any panic or fear slip away. It was a soft, tender kiss but a kiss all the same. He pulled back, smiling and looking me in the face. I suddenly felt a stupid smile come over my face and he laughed. I started to blush immediately and I puckered my lips again, trying not to laugh along with him.

Heading back to New York didn't take as long as leaving it, it seemed to me. I was standing impatiently on the deck, pacing back and forth as the city came into view. Jimmy, whom was still very sore and it took a lot out of him to move around, sat watching back and forth with his eyes.

"You're going to make me dizzy if you don't stop," he said.

I paused and looked at him over my shoulder. He gave a sad smile and I sighed, sliding next to him. He didn't want me to leave but I had my adventure; I knew I wouldn't be allowed to ever leave my house again since I had been gone for so long. I leaned against him, resting my head lightly on his shoulder.


	26. Tell Me The Story

**Thanks for the reviews! **I feel bad... why do I feel bad? I haven't updated, I swear, in more than a week. I feel bad because the sequel may be only half as long as this story; I feel bad that my King Kong muse is dormat and refuses to type for me. But do not let my unhappiness get in the way of enjoying this chapter! Please leave a review if you can!

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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We pulled into the dock and I was practically digging a ditch that I was pacing along the deck so much. I waited impatiently as I helped lower the bridge since Jimmy was unable to help with a few other men. After long moments, I glanced around wearily. Suddenly, I didn't want to get off the ship. This ship had been my safety, my home and my friend for so long I felt too deeply rooted here to get off.

Then I noticed him.

He was taller, I think. His shaggy dark brown hair was messy as ever and he leaned lazily against a side of a building, watching the men work with bored eyes. They shooed him away, telling him off or to leave and all he did was shrug.

"Jerry!" I cried and his head immediately snapped up.

He put a hand to shadow the sun out of his eyes and when he saw me, a giant smile erupted on his face.

"Well, lookie here, a puppy's come on home! And where have you've been, sweetie?" He mused as he walked over to the boat. He gazed over the SS _Venture_ with wide eyes; to him, this ship was beautiful.

I heard shuffling of feet and before I knew it, Jimmy was leaning over the railing too. His face was completely blank as he looked down. Jerry made a small face, obviously guessing the connection between us and looked around again, avoiding my eye contact. But he regained control of himself and smiled at Jimmy.

"Hello! So… Lucy, you've made some friends, I see? Them boys will love to hear your tale sometime," he said.

"I don't like him," Jimmy whispered in my ear, backing off slightly from the railing.

"Not now, Jerry," I shouted back to him.

"Mmm-hm… where've you been? It's practically snowing here! And you seem a bit, eh, tan and pink," he said with a chuckle and stretched out his arms.

I realized, with a shiver, just how cold it was. I glanced up and saw grey clouds looming above us. They slowly floated across the sun, blocked out the light for a moment before continuing on their way. Kong will hate this, I thought on a sad note. Then I looked back down at Jerry.

"Is it just a coincidence that you're here? Or have you finally found yourself a job?"

Jerry wrinkled his nose at the mere mention of the word.

"Nether, sweetie. I've been coming down here since three days after you left; just a wondering when you'd come home."

"You're such a caring friend," I said with a roll of my eyes.

Jerry laughed, smiling up at me.

"Should have been here for the fireworks, Lucy! Your parents were all over the city; took me quite some time to find a good hiding spot where they couldn't hunt me down! Your pop was sure angry and thought I had gone and stole you away in the night!"

Jerry gave another hearty laugh, ruffling his hair with his hand. I grinned at his usual gesture; he was always shoving one of his hands through his hair.

"Have you gotten a haircut since I left?"

"Nope. Ma hasn't been able to get to it yet!"

"Hey kid! If you ain't working here, get out!"

A man shouted from down the docks and was glaring at him. Jerry gave an innocent shrug at the man and turned back up at me. He gave me a bright grin before he took off jogging. He glanced over his shoulder, shouting to me.

"Meet us tomorrow night at the streetlamp! If you can! I'll let 'em know you're back!" He laughed again before he slipped into an alley and disappeared.

"Jerry?" Jimmy asked quietly.

I turned back to him. I nodded but then saw Jimmy's frowning look, I gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry, Jeremy is really friendly; he wouldn't do anything purposely to hurt me…" I let my voice trail off as Jimmy's frown deepened as he thought.

"Oh, don't be jealous Jimmy!" I whispered and scooted closer to him.

I laid my hand on top of his, rubbing little circles into the back of it like he had done for me. He relaxed, shot one last glance in Jerry's direction before he turned to me. He gave me a small smile and I returned it with one of my own.

"Jerry… mentioned your father," he whispered quietly and immediately, I dropped my glaze from his.

My family was probably worried sick and hearing Jeremy, my father was ready to blame any one of my friends. My hands gripped the railing tightly and I wondered if I could possibly get to my family in a night, without Jerry's help. Jimmy pulled his hand silently from underneath my fingertips and then clasped mine into his.

"Do you have to go back?" he whispered.

"I-I… I have to at least see Louie, my brother, Jimmy…" I said back to him.

"All right! Go tonight but you'll… you'll be back here tomorrow, right?"

His hand tightened on mine and even though I winced, he didn't let go. I slowly looked up at him and saw his eyes were deep with worry. I nodded.

"I promise."

"Okay," he said back and his grip relaxed only but a little bit on my hand.

"You have to have a doctor check out your back, Jimmy… something could be broken," I murmured.

I looked up at him and he puckered his lips, shaking his head stubbornly.

"I'm fine."

"I'll make Captain Englehorn make you or maybe I'll convince my brother to steal you from the ship tonight and force you to go," I threatened lightly. But he knew I was actually being quite seriously and he glanced nervously at me.

"Fine, I will," he said huskily and I gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. But somewhere deep, I knew all too well he wasn't going too.

"It'll be fine, Jimmy," I mused happily.

He merely looked at me in disbelief. I laughed before I saw Captain Englehorn calling us. We glanced at each and then raced after him. I saw Jack and Ann finally resurface and stare in awe at the city. A small grin engulfed my face but then Carl followed after them. He glanced at me and I immediately tore down the smile.

I was restless in the night. Carl, Preston, Jack and Ann had all left so the Captain, Jimmy, the crew and I were the only ones on the ship. Oh and Kong, the giant ape that was unconscious down below. Luckily, Jimmy and I avoided the whole fiasco and kept out of sight till the great beast was gone.

I made myself stay awake, sitting on a chair and watching the seagulls fly around out my window. Jimmy did his best to stay up with me but only once did I turn my back away from him, when I turned back he was sound asleep. I grinned at the sleeping boy before I glazed back out the window. Here, just barely, could I tell when it hit midnight.

Moments went by and I stood up silently. I swiftly pulled on the coat Jimmy left out for me and I snuck out onto the deck. I gave an uneasy glance up at the captain's room but seeing no one stir up there, I opened the small gate in the railing, closed it behind me with a loud click and tore down the ramp.

I rounded the alley and suddenly, a cold hand was clamped around my mouth. It muffled the scream that roared to life in my throat.

"Shush, Lucy! Shush! It's me, Jerry!" His voice hissed in the night and I shook off his hand, glaring at him.

"Don't scare me like that!" I snapped at him and I saw a smile in the darkness. He walked out and I saw Tony flanking him. He glazed up at me, his young eyes bulging out of his head. Jerry put his hands on his hips and tilted his head at me.

"Jeez… what got ya on the cheek there, sweetie?" he asked.

"Oh." My hand flew to my cheek. I felt my finger slide across it; I could feel the little scar-bump it made on my skin.

"I fell, that's all."

"Hmm, okay then! Now, I expected you to race out tonight so I came back." Jerry said, leaning against the wall of the alley.

I narrowed my eyes accusingly at him and he chuckled in the dark.

"Don't worry, sweetie! Just figured you wanna go home, yeah? Thought so! Come on Tony!" he mused and started to walk down the alley.

The nine-year-old boy glanced at me before he scurried after Jerry. I stood at the mouth, shifting from foot to foot. I glanced nervously at the SS _Venture_, wondering if I should really run off into the night.

"Lucy! We haven't got all night!" Jerry hissed from the end of the alley. Giving one last sorrowful glance at the ship, I raced after them.

"Where's Phillip?" I murmured as we slipped into another shortcut.

"Huh? Oh, Phil! Parents and he left a little after you did; father or someone in the family found a halfway decent job and they left like," he snapped his fingers, "that."

"Oh," I whispered sadly.

"Though, Phillip did want me to tell you something," Jerry halted and tilted his head up. He cleared his throat and said, " 'Tell her that I wish she comes home safe- oh, no, that's too fake sounding! Just tell her that I hope- I'm coming Ma! Tell her that I'd miss her and I hope to see her again! I'm coming Pa!' That's exactly what he said."

Tony giggled behind us, covering his mouth as we both glanced at him. Jerry had just done almost a perfect Phillip impression. I sighed, knowing that at least Phillip was able to get a better life than living off the streets here.

"What about you?"

"Me? Why you're worried about little ole me?" Jerry said, suddenly bitter.

"Jerry, don't get like this… please," I whispered frustrated.

Jerry snorted, stuck his nose slightly in the air and grumbled.

"What?" I said, poking him. He shot me a dirty look.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking! Not that you'd care much…" his voice trailed off into incoherent, angry mumbles.

"What's got you all riled up?"

"Nothin'. Just bad things at home- hey, Tony! Kid, you'd better keep up with us or we'll leave you behind!"

Jerry had stopped in the alleyway and was facing the other end, scowling angrily. Tony looked up, gave a swift nod and then raced to our side. He gave a silly grin to Jerry but quickly swiped it off his face when he got an angry glare from Jerry. Minutes passed as we scurried through the alleys like little rats. Jerry sure hasn't lost his touch for finding the shortest distances.

Finally, I started to recognize the buildings and the street names. I easily started to pick my way through the alleys and streets; Jerry allowed me to lead the rest of the way home. I slid to a halt, taking in the sight before me.

A lone figure stood leaning against the streetlamp. He shifted again and now his back leaned against it.

"Welcome home, sweetie," Jerry mused, his angry and dark mood disappeared.

"Who is it? Is it Louie? Who is it Jerry?" Tony whispered behind me.

"Shut-up! Aw, now you've gone and ruined the surprise! Yes, it's Louie. See ya later, Lucy! We'll be back in an hour, me and Tony! Don't go anywhere, 'kay? Come on, you twit, we've got errands to run!"

I watched as Jerry grabbed Tony's hand and soon, the dark alleys swallowed them up. I waved to the darkness before I turned back to the lamp. I glanced at the brightness, wondering if I should go out there. But as he turned, I realized Jerry wasn't lying.

"Louie!" I cried and tore out into the street, forgetting all sanity for a moment.

He laughed as I threw my arms around him and hugged him close. I felt him stagger under my strength and he pulled me off.

"Lucy! When have you become so strong?" He laughed again as I immediately started to hug him, burying my face in his coat and familiar presence. I breathed in his calming scent and realized how much I actually missed him.

"You'd think you've been gone for a year…" Louie murmured and once more, pulled me off him.

His hands rested on my shoulders and I looked up at him. I could see the warm welcoming feeling slowly ebbing away as he took in my appearance: my scar on my face, my clearly bandaged hands that Jerry and Tony ignored completely and the shadows underneath my eyes. I looked aged compared to what I looked like when I came back.

He was about to say something but then closed his mouth.

"You'll save me the story for a rainy day, right?" he said.

I nodded silently.

"Good, good." He murmured, staring at me.

There was a long silence and gradually, questions built up in my mind. They started to flood out of my mouth as I asked him: how's Mother, how's Father, what happened after they realized I had left, how did he cope with the fireworks, how did Mother and Father cope with my disappearance.

"Lucy! Calm down!" Louie gave me a shake of my shoulders and I stopped talking, staring up at him.

"I was fine; quite actually, I had to leave only day and a half after you left for something. Mother and Father were quite frantic in their searching; a little birdie told me that they even tried to locate all your little friends on the streets. But I heard none of them were accused of knowing anything and soon, Mother and Father came back home. Mother wept for the first few nights and Father stayed up late, doing what I don't know. After a while, Father came home later and later. Business was trying to get the last products shipped before Christmas, you know. But one night, Father didn't come home…" Louie's voice trailed off sadly.

"He hasn't been home since the seventh day you left, Lucy. Mother took over the business, since Father wasn't there to run it and I helped as much as I could. I'm sorry Lucy." He bowed his head sadly.

I stared at him, a confused frown on my face. The words didn't sink in.

"But I think Father would have left anyway, whether or not you ran away! Mother and him had been fighting long before you left; you never noticed the glares or frustrated stares at each other. He would have left us ether way Lucy and I can take care of the business once I'm out of college!"

Louie's voice was an angry one but I could see he was hiding the fear and pain he felt of Father's absence behind his anger. Louie became so childish sometimes when he was angry; it reminded me how much he was still a child inside. It also reminded me of how much Louie had looked up to Father, how much he idealized him and learned from him.

"Th-thank you, Louie." I murmured and looked down.

There was another long silence and Louie pulled me into a hug. A few tears rolled down my face as I snuggled into his coat, breathing in his warm scent once again. For a moment, I wished Father had been the one to meet me. The one I could immediately recognize his figure under the streetlamp. Louie pulled me away again and looked me straight in the eye.

"You're leaving back to the ship, aren't you?"

I nodded after a small hesitation. Louie sighed and shook his head but did not object.

"I shall let Mother know you stopped by. She'll be happy to know you're alive, after all. Are you sure? Lucy, whatever happened on that adventure of yours really changed you! You may not see it but everyone does. Jerry, who is never thoughtful, was frowning as he spoke to me. You know he only does that if he's truly thinking!" Louie exclaimed.

Suddenly, his iron hands gripped my upper arms and he held me in place.

"Promise me, Lucy, that you'll tell me the story! Not now, though! I must get going; it well past one now and I do have to be somewhere by tomorrow's afternoon." He said, suddenly glancing over his shoulder.

I looked up at my brother.

"Louie, I'll tell you someday! But I see the changed that happened to me; things… things that happened on my little adventure turned it into a nightmare but also a blissful dream."

"My fake poetry is rubbing off on you, Lucy," Louie said with a sad chuckle.

"You should have been an actor or performer, Lou," I whispered and he gave a dry laugh this time.

"I know but I prefer watching the people, that actually performing. I could never stand up in front of millions of people!" He shook his head with a smile. Then he started to usher me away.

"I see Jerry waiting in the shadows. It's time for you to go." He said.

I started to walk away but I whipped around and embraced my brother once again. Louie laughed softly, hugged me back before he started to propel me towards Jerry and Tony in the alley. When I raced over to them, Jerry didn't say anything and immediately begun to move. Tony glanced at me with slouching shoulders but bright eyes; Jerry called him and he scurried after his master.

I glanced over my shoulder at the streetlamp. Louie was nowhere to be seen.


	27. Sunrise

**Thank you for any the reviews I got for Chapter 26, "Tell Me The Story"!!! Leave reviews at the end of this if you can!**

*sniffle* I loathe writing endings for my stories! It's just so-arugh! It's so sad, even though I know there's a sequel (which, hehehe, I should be working onXD) and just...yeah. It's almost like the character, Lucy for this case, became a part of me. No, she's nowhere near an insert of myself. My characters do truly grow during the stories they have; at the beginning, I really only have a rough idea of how I want them to be like. Then they form by themselves, I think I almost have no control of them after the first chapters- it's almost like in my head, the OC's are alive and controlling my hands, showing me what they'd do.

To me, it's beautiful...to others, perhaps a bit creepyXD But whatever, each OC I have has a smidge bit of me in them. Normally, the pairing they're with (I adore Jimmy:D) and perhaps, one thing or another...I think I'll end it there. Only the epilogue to go, guys. Only the epilogue....

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

The sun was rising when we finally arrived back at the SS _Venture_. I had sat down with Jerry and Tony and told them a very short, edited version of what happened. But I didn't tell them that I had actually gone on an adventure where I did set foot on an uncharted land or saw things that a young adult- any person of any age- shouldn't see. I told them of an awful storm that took most of our crew and how we got 'lost' for many days.

Jerry pestered me into revealing whom all died in the storm. I soon found myself explaining everyone on the ship- from Carl to Captain Englehorn, from Jack to Jimmy, much to the discomfort of Jerry and all the others. I even included Mr. Hayes and Lumpy.

The mention of their names made me instinctively go numb and my voice lowered though a few tears escaped my desperate clutch to keep them in. My body and mind didn't want to feel the pain anymore but there was still a strong ache in my chest. I longed for Jimmy to be sitting next to me as I told them this lie. They ate up without a blink of hesitation or a thoughtful look into my eyes. I didn't want to lie to them; my tongue grew heavy as the words slurred out of my mouth in a low mumble. It was like giving a piece of rotten food to someone who was starving and begging for food. It's food, yes, but it could hurt or even kill them. Then you would watch as they ate the food happily, chewing quickly as the precious, poisonous nourishment entered their body.

Only after time would they realize what mistake they had made and by then, most of the time, it was already too late.

"Here we are! Back to the ole ship," Jerry mused.

I still wasn't able to figure out what had bothered him so much before and he gave no hint of his bitterness from it. He was all smiles and laughter; the Jerry I remembered leaving behind. Small shadows were starting to appear under his eyes as he stopped at the end of the alley, glancing over his shoulder at me.

"Coming sweetie?" he asked again.

"Keep your mouth shut, Jerry," I growled and glared at him.

He shrugged innocently but flashed me a toothy smile. I frowned and tilted my head at it slightly as he turned back to look around, making sure that we'd wouldn't get spotted by any men that happened to be there. Then I gave my head a small shake and snuck to his side.

"Thanks, Jerry," I murmured, not looking at him as I spoke. He shrugged nonchalantly next to me.

"Yeah, yeah," he said huskily and then he whipped around.

"Hey, Tony! Get your butt over here!" shouted Jerry.

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Tony fingering through someone's trash. He looked up guiltily at me before he begun to glare at Jerry. An angry flush came over his cheeks as he begun to speak.

"You ain't the boss of me!" Tony said stubbornly as he folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his little eyes at Jerry.

"Your ma put me in charge of ya and now you gotta listen to me!" Jerry snapped and they had a stare down. Tony puckered his lips angrily, let his arms fall to his side and then stomped over to us. Jerry cuffed him lightly over the head but trying not to laugh as Tony pulled out some still good food. Tony gave us an immature grin; I noticed one of his front but farther back teeth had fallen out.

"You're becoming too much like me, kid," Jerry mused. But you couldn't miss the pride beaming off Jerry's words, echoing in his voice and shining on his face. I rolled my eyes.

They had left only a few minutes ago and still, I stared at the ship without moving an inch from where they had left me. Now that I was back home, my feet felt rooted to the ground. Though not much changed, it felt like everyone around me did. Father was gone, Louie was stressed and Jerry was practically falling to pieces before my eyes; a sudden panic hit my chest as I thought of little Tony getting into the trouble Jerry found himself in.

All because I wasn't here. What happened if I left on a longer voyage? Would things completely fall and crumble as soon as my foot lifted off the ground and back onto the ramp, heading towards the ship's deck? I sighed unhappily and leaned against the alley's wall.

But besides all that, I had to go back to the ship. I have had enough adventure to last me a lifetime but I knew I would be guilt-ridden if I left the crew. Jimmy would most definitely fees like I was abandoning not only the ship, but also him. I wasn't sure about the captain; maybe he'd understand if I stayed here the next time they leave.

But also, when I think about, there was the sadness that weighed on my shoulders after this adventure, was almost to the point of unbearable. I wanted happy memories; ones that I could tell all the boys about and not have to lie. No, I _needed_ happy memories! I could not get over Ann's screams for help, the sight of Jimmy almost falling off a cliff, seeing a hunter's ugly teeth almost around my leg or any of the other nightmarish memories I had of the island.

I glanced back at the alley before I jogged over to the ship.

My shoulder ached and my legs run groggily. The thought of a bed or even the floor of the cabin waiting for me, made me even more tired. I bound up the ramp silently as I thought possible and rounded the corner. I gave a yelp as I practically ran into someone. I leapt back, my heart pounding wildly and immediately my mind flashed an image of the knife I had… given back to the captain.

Taking a second to recover, I realized that the person in front of me was Captain Englehorn. I gulped nervously, looking up to his face to see his unreadable eyes again. He had caught me red-handed and I had no excuse.

"And where have you been?" He asked sternly, his voice blank as his eyes.

"I-I… my family." I bowed my head. Then I heard something I didn't expect; Captain Englehorn laughed. It was a deep and throaty laugh… but it resembled the one he gave to Carl back on the island. Not a happy laugh; one just to feel the silence.

"Homesick, Lucy?" he asked, turning to face me.

I puckered my lips, turning away from him. I wasn't about to admit but I was. I have been homesick since I realized Preston looks like Phillip, how many times I thought of the promise I made to Louie so long ago, the smile I could picture on my mother's face when she saw me. But I stayed quiet.

"Hmm?" His tone turned a bit more like a captain's and I knew he wanted a response.

"Yes, sir." I mumbled, avoiding his eyes still.

"Do you plan on staying here?" he asked casually.

My eyes snapped back to his face, a small flare of anger in my body. I have gone through hell and back with these men, mostly Captain Englehorn and Jimmy, and he's asking me if I'm leaving?

My thoughts from the alley drifted in my head but angry conquered over them. I clutched my hands into fists and stared hard at him. He merely shook his head, turning back to glaze at the sea.

"I'm staying here," I said through clenched teeth. He looked up at me and I felt a shiver run through my body. His eyes were dark, almost angry looking. I wondered why.

"Are you sure?"

"Are you suggesting, sir, that I leave behind the men I had grown to care about? The men that saved my life multiple times from their own actions? To just walk away- from all of it? I'd stowaway again, if I had too." I said in a dark tone.

"I'm not leaving Captain." I stated strongly, wandering over to the railing. There was a silent moment before the captain strode next to me. He leaned against the railing, glazing out thoughtfully into the city.

"Why not? There's much more to the world than this damn ship." He questioned as he pulled out a cigarette, then pulled out a match packet and started up his cigarette. The smoke was quite hazy compared to the clearing air of the early morning.

Why wouldn't I leave? It'd be easier to stay back in the city; Mother would obviously need some sort of assistance from me with Louie gone.

"Because Captain…" I paused, chewing my bottom lip. Then I picked up again.

"Because I'm afraid. I'm afraid of the changes at home. I'm afraid of the changes I've left here, sir. I'm afraid of the changes of the people around me. I'm afraid of the changes inside myself… but that is the least of my worries."

I felt the captain's blank eyes on me. I knew I had stirred up his burning curiosity but he remained quiet. But his silence was enough to make myself continue on.

"The thing I'm afraid of the most… not the changes, not the nightmares, not the dark thoughts… but forgetting." I whispered, letting my head bow.

"Forgetting would be a damn blessing," he stated.

I glanced up at my captain but he didn't look at me; his eyes stared out at the city and were quite distant, their angry smother disappearing. There was a mysterious haze that covered them; I wondered on what was going through his head. Was he replaying the memories of his fallen crewmen, the last memories of them alive? Or was he imaging alcohol to drown his sorrows in? I had heard many great men falling prey to that nasty stuff and how they became complete wrecks. Captain Englehorn couldn't be reduced to that… right?

"To forget their faces, captain. To forget what they looked like when they were happy or content or amused or sad… to forget how they affected me, how they affected everything. I don't trust my memory, sir and this place holds everything that I want- that I _need_ to remember."

But I also needed happy memories to ward off the deathly ones, I thought. Once again, another battle inside me bickered over staying with the ship or staying in the city. Once again, I couldn't chose between the two.

He stared down at the water this time and I didn't try to make eye contact. His barely finished cigarette suddenly flew through the air and smothered on the top of the water before it slowly sank away. He straightened up, turning to me. The captain looked at me directly in the eyes. He stared down at me and I stared back up at him; on the inside, I was shaking like a leaf. Captain Englehorn's stare will never lose that affect on me but I didn't let myself shake on the outside. I stood my ground. There was a long moment as we stared each other down.

What was he thinking? What was he going to say?

"You're very thoughtful for your age."

"Thank you sir."

There was another long moment; his eyes bored into mine, searching them for something I do not know. What did he want? What did he want me to say? He said nothing on what he found, on what he saw. He finally sighed, glanced at the city again before he spoke.

"Very well. Stay then." He looked at me one last time, gawking at him, and then he turned around slowly, walking back towards the captain's room.

"W-what?" I whispered.

"I'm not stopping you from staying here Lucy. But you must understand that if you stay on this ship that you'd rarely see your family or friends… anyone not on this ship, rarely would you see their faces. There, you could also forget." He stopped, looked at me for a moment before he turned around a corner and disappeared.

I shivered, my muscles were near collapse from the exhaustion of me fighting them and not allowing them to tremble. I shivered again, glancing in the direction Captain Englehorn disappeared too. He truly believed that I should stay here in the city.

Why? I wanted to ask him. I can handle myself. I can help around the ship; I've pulled my weight that whole damn voyage! I wanted to scream at him, telling how much it broke me to see those men die! I wouldn't leave this ship; I can't! It would go against everything that has settled in my heart and mind, to leave this place more than a day.

Though it would pain me to see many things that made me think of my fallen comrades and friends, the pain would be worse if I just left. Just as I told him- I'm afraid. I'm afraid of walking away from this ship and feeling their images slip away, to never be able to bring up happy memories because I don't remember. That is something I couldn't bare.

We all still have to learn about each other, I guess. I gave one longing glaze at the city and then gradually stared to the sea. The blue water on the horizon was turning a soft peach pink from the sun slowly waking up and peaking above it. A beautiful picture, soft and gentle; Mother would have loved it.

Sighing suddenly and remembering my cabin down below, I slowly walked to the stairs and went down. I barely made a noise as I slowly opened the door to the cabin. It creaked slightly and I winced from the noise, hoping I didn't disturb anyone. But Jimmy was already sitting on the bed, his shoulders slouched and his head bowed down so low his chin touched his chest. Slowly closing the door behind me, I tiptoed over to Jimmy. His chest rose slowly and his body appeared to be quite relaxed; he had just fallen asleep. Smiling to myself, I tapped him on his shoulder.

He woke up with a jolt, leaping up. Still groggily, he swayed a bit and stumbled. I giggled as I grabbed his shoulders and stopped him. He immediately started to grin a silly smile and looked at me, his eyes brimming with happiness. I knew exactly what he was doing and I felt a bit stupid for not putting the pieces together right away. He didn't just fall asleep; he never was asleep!

"Jimmy, you were eavesdropping!" I accused, immediately dropping my arms and pulling to my chest. He merely smirked, his eyes gleaming mischievously. I shook my head, turning my back to him and puckered my lips to stop from smiling.

"Aw, don't be mad, Lucy," he whispered, trying to unlock my arms from my body by tugging them. I glared at him playfully, narrowing my eyes at him and sticking out my tongue. His smile widened and seemed to turn brighter.

"I should be, Jimmy. That was none of your business!"

He winced involuntary and I dropped my arms automatically, unable to stop them. He quickly took advantage of my state and dropped his hand to mine, gripping it tightly and reassuringly. I didn't struggle against his grasp; it was warm and comforting.

"I'm sorry," I said weakly and sat down on the bed, Jimmy sitting next to me.

"It's okay," he whispered back.

I turned to him, knowing my eyes flickered with emotions. Happiness. Sadness. Anger. Confusion. Frustration. All the feelings I felt, many a mix of two or more, reflected in my eyes. Jimmy glazed at my face and I remembered how his eyes use to look so innocent and vulnerable. Now they had matured into a thoughtful stare; they were deep now.

Jimmy's eyes flickered on my face, darting around each inch and taking it all in.

"Are you going to stay?" I suddenly whispered. He knew what I meant, I believe. He could understand completely from where I was coming from, to be afraid of forgetting all of them. Would he endure the pain to remember? Or would he want to move on? I couldn't guess Jimmy's answer to my question; he has changed just like I have and everyone else. We were all so different now…

"I-I don't know, Lucy…" he stammered back to me, dropping his glaze from me and stared at the ground.

"But… everything will be okay, right? We still have each other, right?" I whispered, watching at our connected hands. He looked up at me, his blue eyes gazing warmly at my face before turning his head to our hands. His lips pulled into a sad smile as he nodded to something unknown to me; could it be to my question? Jimmy's hand gave a strong squeeze to my hand and for once, I didn't wince no matter the pain that shot through it.

"Yeah, we have each other… it'll be alright Lou."

It'll be alight Lou. We have each other. That's all I needed to hear to have my lips pull into a smile.


	28. The Best Decision

**A big thanks to everyone who reviewed this story, all the story alerts and author alerts, all the favorites of this story and myself! They mean a great deal to me :)**

Finally... the re-write of the epilogue-now the last chapter. I hope you like it. Anyone who may still pay attention to this story.

**DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.  
But I do own any OC's in here!**

* * *

The picture was black and white, as always, but there was no mistake in the giant large black mass in the back. Three men stood in front, grinning widely at the camera. I glanced down at the bottom of the picture, reading the caption with disgust.

_"Three army recruits pose for a picture in front of Carl Denham's great, fallen King Kong."_

Underneath the small caption, was a little paragraph explaining what took the beast down. My eyes took it in but my mind couldn't cope. The ape was shot down by the Curtis Helldrivers (some form of the U.S. force or another) after climbing up the Empire State Building, with Ann as his 'hostage'. He fell to his death for Ann. I looked at the picture again, not feeling disgust but a red fury and sadness at the same time.

I had heard the rumors. I actually had been near there that day around Christmas; it was almost four days ago from today. But I knew I would have broken down if I went, if I saw the giant ape at his lowest. I didn't dare enter that part of the city, avoiding it all costs till today.

Why did we let him take it away? We could have stopped Carl…

My thoughts were numb as I thought of the countless possibilities when I could have, or the crew or the captain could have stopped that greedy man taking something that would never be his. Well, I'm glad he's lost it all. He's great 'wonder' is gone at a very high price and he's got nothing. I bet Preston isn't even with him!

But still, somehow I felt pity for the man. Maybe he'll learn from his mistakes…

I tossed the cruddy paper aside, glancing up at the building with curious eyes. From here, it seemed unscratched from the battle it hosted so little ago. That not one drop of blood, human or ape, was shed on its peak and rolled down its walls. Not one. I frowned, trying to see closer. But still, it was almost all grey with the exception of the glassy gleam from the sunlight off the windows.

I picked up my fallen paper, gently placed it into the garbage bin where it belonged and walked with my back towards the building. But a sudden curiosity burned in my stomach; I glanced over my shoulder, puzzled that I actually wanted to go towards that building.

Why the sudden curiosity, Lucy?

Do you need to be reminded once again of the people that died where from Kong came from?

I shook my head, taking a deep breath and forcing myself to walk away. My decision weighed heavily in my head. I knew Captain Englehorn ether questioned my loyalty to staying with my answer or just my answer itself. Jimmy is overjoyed that I planned on staying with the ship.

I took another shaky breath, slipping into an alley.

But Mother would need me… I had contacted my brother the other night and he said today was the last day he could stay here. So I decided today was the day I was going to visit home again. I wouldn't be surprised if Mother didn't let me leave and I would have to sneak away again. Except she'd know where to find me this time and I knew when Mother was determined, rarely anything could stop her.

I turned another corner, darting around a stack of empty boxes.

I came out onto another busy street, though it wasn't as crowded as the other one. My eyes wandered over the people, barely resting on the unknown faces. I haven't heard anything from Jack or Ann, so I assumed they were okay. Or at least, I hoped.

The _SS Venture_ would be returning tomorrow night, since they left the night after Kong got off the ship. Englehorn had said they wouldn't be gone that long, they just needed some more crewmen and it hurt to say that I was going to stay to see my brother off and see my mother for the first time in a long time. Jimmy didn't like it back after a long conversation, it was apparent he still didn't like it but accepted it.

I told him that if they telegrammed my home, I'd meet them in the docks when they came back. That telegram came in the other night. Two a.m. was their guessed docking time. My body shivered from excitement. They were my second family, after all.

Though I felt guilty and a bit dirty for breaking my promise to stay here, I felt that my mother was strong. She accepted me long before my father did; especially after I ran. With Louie being there, I knew she could get through it. I didn't know what to expect from Mother, whether she was in good shape or not.

I wove around the people, my head bent down low and my face pulled into a frown.

Go with the ship? Stay home? The decision seemed even harder this time around but yet, the answer seemed to being getting clearer and clearer. I wasn't sure if I felt it was right but it made sense. It was terrible to be faced with this question; it haunted my dreams and echoed in my head. I had been staying on the ship, there sleeping, until Englehorn left and then I stayed with the children of the streets. I never had the strength to visit my mother until now that Louie was leaving.

I looked up, glancing around until I saw the alley and slowly walked towards it. I gazed over the crowd again and I froze in mid stride when I stared into the eyes of… _him_. I expected Carl to have left by now but I guess he didn't have to will or money to do so. He was unshaven, hair messy and not his usual cleanness. His eyes were hollow. They stared into mine, trying not to show the acknowledgement that he knew me.

We stared at each other, people muttering angrily as they had to walk around us.

"I figured…" I started, closed my mouth and shook my head. He said nothing.

I gave Carl one last look over, just one last look before I turned into the alley. The stare between our eyes, between the two of us was enough. It said everything. It showed everything, laid out everything on the table. I wasn't sure what did pass between us though; I was sure, in part of my mind, nothing happened. But I think he saw the pity I had for him, despite everything he caused and did, and I saw the drained life in him. I tried to show my distaste for him but maybe that came across as something else. Ether way, it was over. It was done.

I did not plan on seeing Carl anymore. I knew I would never see him again.

I arrived at the doorstep of my home in late night. I knew it would be kind of odd, but Louie did say he wasn't leaving till really late in the night. He wanted to travel when not many people were on the roads, I assumed. I raised my fist to knock but suddenly, the door burst open.

Her hair was messy. Her clothes weren't as neat as I left her. But the life wasn't gone from her eyes, like Carl's own pair. She had this bright, perhaps slightly mad smile plastered on her face. Louie appeared from behind her, smiling just as cheerfully as Mother was. She embraced me and I felt the air rush out of my lungs from the strength.

"Lucy! Lucy, Lucy…"

I felt the happy tears soak into my slightly dirty clothing and I realized something. My mother was sobbing. I laughed suddenly, feeling slightly overwhelmed. They dragged me in and Mother immediately brought out snacks for me. She commented on my clothing, as any mother would and touched my cheek, saying she loves me over and over again. Then she made me tell the whole story, from leaving to arriving back here tonight, right there and then. We talked and talked, chatting happily and hugging me when I broke down, telling about the insect pit and Mr. Hayes' death and so much dying.

I told her of the tiredness I felt when I became sick, fear I felt facing the dinosaurs in the stampede and facing them on the cliff's side. More tears shed from her eyes as I showed my hands and she immediately said, she's taking me to the doctor as soon as possible so they could be examined. I did my best to act that I was staying. I continued on, telling her of the desperate attempt to stay alive while Kong (she was quite shocked that I actually came near the creature that climbed the Empire State Building) rampaged because we had Ann. Soon my story, to tell it, it seemed like forever but the memories were fresh and painful as it just had happened before my eyes, came to an end.

I felt very good to have it finally off my chest now. Louie stood up slowly, stretched and then gradually, he gave a sad smile. Immediately, the happiness and warmth I felt being with my family, was ebbing away.

"I must get going if I actually want to arrive on time."

More tears came as Mother hugged her only son, giving him a kiss on each cheek though there was a little protest from him. I embraced him, feeling that I couldn't let go of Louie. But he pulled me off with a sad chuckle, waved and disappeared out the door. In moments, it seemed too quiet. I missed the slow waves rolling gently against the ship's side and Jimmy's breathing.

Mother gave me a dimmer smile.

"Lucy…"

I realized I was staring out the window, my eyes wet and bloodshot still.

"Are you going to stay?"

Are you going to stay… are you going to stay… The question echoed in my head.

I looked up slowly, feeling the tears form in my eyes again. But the stubbornness in me awoke and I wiped them away. No, I was sick of crying. I was sick of feeling useless and then causing so pain when I was gone and while I was on the ship. But that ship called to me and with a flicker of the memory, Louie's words brought a weak smile to my face. My mother would understand. But could it have been the only answer for me?

I wanted to go. I stared into my mother's eyes for a long time, biting my bottom lip and said nothing. She could see the answer in my eyes and embraced me, flattening my hair as she did. She knew my answer.

I knew it too. But still, I wasn't sure if it was right.

"Go, honey. It's almost two o' clock." I had told her the times. I had told her everything I felt about Jimmy; she was a parent at first, then my friend. She encouraged me too go. She had made me take a long time to soak in a tub and then pairs of clothing; old clothes of Louie's she said.

And off I went. I stepped out into the cool night, my hair still wet and my eyes still bloodshot. I looked around and then sprinted, like I was running for dear life. I wasn't running away with my life; I was running towards it. He was on the ship and waiting just as impatiently to see me as I saw to see him, I just knew it. I could feel it in my bones, in my heart, in the air.

When my legs felt like they couldn't take another step and my throat and lungs burned, I ran into him. Jerry stepped out of the shadows, his arms crossed defiantly and I narrowed my eyes at him. How could I have forgotten? He knew my answer before I did. I skidded to a stop, staring at him.

"You're leaving," he whispered. His wall was down; I could hear the pain in his voice, it echoed from within him. My felt loosened into a sad smile and I stepped towards him, embaracing him like my mother did. He went limp in my arms and as I pulled back, he stared at me with wide, little children eyes.

He was scared. "Ya come back, right?" he whispered. I nodded and then shrugged; I felt like my voice would betray me if I spoke.

"I hope," I whispered, looking down the ground with tears welling in my eyes. He sighed and then gently, he put his arms around my shoulder. Suddenly his funny, carefree image was back on his face; he grinned from ear to ear. I looked up, an eyebrow arched curiously.

"Don't you get yourself into trouble," he said. I sighed and then stood on my toes, kissed him on the cheek and sprinted off. I left him in the lamplight, his hand touching his cheek gently. He knew it was meant as a goodbye kiss but to him, it was a kiss all the same. And soon, my lungs were burning again and the wind picked up. The docks appeared before me and I stopped at the end of the alley, my shaking hand resting on the cool stone wall.

I watched them, the new men. The ones who could never bond with the ones still here completely because of what they didn't go through, what they didn't see. They were like foreign objects; we were testing them out, to see if they could survive. My eyes gazed over them, taking in their touch, some scarred, faces. Would they work out?

He walked with a limp as he hobbled down the ramp, his hand clutching the chain safety ropes tightly. His hair was unmistakable to me and when he looked up, his eyes darting around in search of my head, I giggled. As if he heard me, his eyes landed on me. He just stepped a few paces away from the ramp, grinning like a boy who was giving a puppy; I could never get over how whenever his lips pulled into a smile, his eyes glinted with happiness.

My legs moved and I realized, I was running towards him. I didn't have to tell my legs to do; they did it on their own accord and I knew this was the right answer. And when I collided into him (I could feel he braced himself), feeling him titter a bit and then laughed right in my ear. There was laughter around us and I had no doubt in my mind that Captain Englehorn had told them they would have a woman on the ship. There was wolf whistles as he whispered in my ear.

"I thought you were staying."

I buried my face into his shirt and neck even more, feeling at home and at peace with myself. Nothing but happy memories flooded me when I was around him, though I knew that could all change in a second. We had gone through things together that no friends, no… couple ever had. They were experiences that couldn't break and they brought us together each and every waking moment we were in each other's presence.

"No, Jimmy, I'm coming," I said, pulling back from my embrace. For a moment, all I could hear was everyone's laughter and shrill wolf whistles. All I could see was Jimmy's bright smile, his eyes shining so happily and my reflection in them. I had never seen him so happy before; not ever in any of the moments I had seen him smile.

There were no words between us. He leaned and gave a quick kiss on my lips, smiling like he had done something wrong but knew he wouldn't be punished and I felt his blushing cheeks brush mine, turning mine into a bright pink. The blood rushed up to my ears as the men around us whooped and laughed, shouting things to Jimmy.

"It wouldn't be the same without you."

I looked up at him and touched his cheek gently then pulled my hand back. This had to be the decision; my gut wasn't twisting, thinking about other options I had. My mind only focused on him, not the captain looking down at us from the railing or the chuckling men around us. Things would never be the same for me. I had seen too much, learned and heard things I shouldn't have and I survived it all. I would survive any nightmares that came my way. I could survive anything with Jimmy by my side.

And when I look back on my life, whether when I'm an aged woman or lying on my deathbed, young or old, I would know one thing. I would know that staying on that ship was the best decision I ever made.

**-THE END-**


	29. Deleted Scene: They're Extinct Now

Because long long ago, I promise you guys I would do the extended/delete scenes of this movie. I'm finally able to get Youtube and watched them. So here's me fulfilling that promise to you ;) **Deleted/Extended Scenes- Part One: **This chapter would be at the middle of chapter 13 "Female Intelligence". It would be right before where the story cuts straight to the skull pit where Jack finds pieces of Ann's hair in.

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The island was very unwelcoming, I thought. The crew and the rest of the men, including myself, were still stomping through the trees like a herd of wild animals. No, a herd of wild animals would've been much quieter. Maybe to everyone, we were quiet but I knew better.

The whole forest has had to have heard us by now.

I wondered what my family was doing, to past the time away. But I was only able to pull sad pictures up in my head; Mother crying herself to sleep, Father angry and sad with me, Lou practically insane from worry. Home would be a mess right now. So I stopped thinking about that.

The forest we entered was ever changing and the never seemed to stop. We entered a new part of the forest; it was full of snarled, dead branches and roots of giant trees. The leaves on the branches were dead and brittle; they gave me a bad feeling about the little area we had wandered into. A feeling that told me to turn and flee; to get out of this place and never give it a second glance. I glanced quickly around at the men before and behind me; a few wore the same face as me but kept moving forward.

I felt myself slow down and felt someone bump into my arm. I quickly glanced up and caught my breath at his blue eyes. I could just barely make them out in the shadowy darkness. He looked away, staring at the men before us. Suddenly, my canvas bag seemed very heavy.

My legs cried out in pain and soreness but I kept moving; I made myself pace to Jimmy's quick walk. I knew he was curious on what I was doing but my mind being so exhausted; it was hard to focus on walking in rhythm with him, much less start up a conversation. Another reason was, Mr. Hayes was only a few yards ahead of us and I didn't want us to be found out so soon.

Someone shouted again, "Miss Darrow!"

We entered what you could call a clearing and the whole rescue group slowed to a stop. I noticed Mr. Hayes jump up onto some tall branches; no doubt, his dark eyes scanning the area. Jimmy and I made eye contact again and we both looked around, watching everyone. The only noise for a moment was every man's heavy breathing from our trek and the forest suddenly became alive. I thought I heard monkeys- like the ones at the school, except far more aggressive sounding- scream and shout through the trees.

I started to wonder if I should ask Lumpy or perhaps, even Jimmy to show me how to shoot a gun. The whole island was giving me the idea that I really should know that.

Men shined their little flashlights on small places; the light seemed dull and almost useless in the maze of branches and wood. But the light did make me feel less blind and helpless; perhaps that's the whole reason we were using them. My hands tightened out of worry on the straps of my canvas bag; I felt my knuckles whine in protest and with a fleeting glance at them, I noticed the almost fish belly whiteness of them.

The air was suffocating because of the tension in it.

There was suddenly a sound of what sounded like wood cracking underneath pressure and then an animal- perhaps another monkey- gave out a call. It surprised one of the crewmen and he jumped then immediately started shooting towards the direction of the sound. That set everyone off.

Someone gave a gruff call of "Fire" and every gun was shooting. My arms shot to cover my head, unsure where every man was placed and scooted closer to Jimmy. I saw his arms grip the gun and his muscles tense. He knew that wasn't Mr. Hayes or Jack giving an order; I knew if I had been in his position, I would've been like the rest of the men. Shooting into the unknown.

I looked up and saw Jack, whom must've followed Mr. Hayes up, spin around and he pulled his gun out, prepared to start shooting at whatever the other men where shooting at. Mr. Hayes immediately looked furious and leapt down from his spot, shouting.

"Cut it out!"

He walked through the chaos of men, whom had mostly ignored his command and continued to call the men to stop. "Hold your fire!"

My eyes darted everywhere and in seconds of Mr. Hayes leaping down from his sentry spot, he walked right by me. I looked down quickly, shadowing my face from his sight hopefully and my eyes burning holes into the ground as a nervous sweat broke out on my neck. When I gave a peek up, he was already gone and along with Jack. Jimmy had also disappeared from my side.

Mr. Hayes and Jack stood about two yards or so in front of me and again Mr. Hayes called out. "Hold your fire!" The command was deep and loud; every man listened and the gunfire ceased to exist. And so we waited.

The air became thick like it was before the shooting. I stared towards the other side of the woods, watching with wide and scared eyes. A bright red light came and I looked up to see Mr. Hayes holding a lit flare, to give us a bit more seeing ability. Perhaps that was the bad plan; weren't animals attracted to odd, unnatural, glowing things at night?

I gulped nervously and my forehead had a thin layer of wetness on it.

Then I heard it roar and saw a giant creature burst through the dead branches, swinging its head with ease to get through. Behind the snout and eyes and face of the creature, was a flat, oval-like piece that had spikes protruding out of the side of it. On the snout of the creature, it had a little ball of muscle or bone- I couldn't tell. I also did not really care for getting that close to the creature to tell if it was muscle or bone. We scattered as it came roaring towards us. I got another glimpse of it.

Beside the little mass on its nose, two very sharp and strong looking horns spiked out from its skin. The creature was also huge and obviously very angry. I think I would be too if someone was shooting in my forest.

The creature came straight towards and everyone fled in different directions. I knew that I could fit underneath the roots but as I eyed up the monster's thick and wide feet, I decided against it. So I was stuck running. I raced the way it came while most men turned and fled the other way. But we weren't fast enough. It reached us in heartbeats and stomped, roared and swung its massive head. I heard a yell and saw someone flying.

I saw two men rolling and diving for cover underneath the monster's feet and realized they were in fact Preston, clutching the camera for dear life, and Carl trying to get to Preston and the camera. I watched in awe as he was able to slide in between two roots and get away from the creature. Then I gritted my teeth and raced back towards them. Every step as I got closer and closer to the creature, screamed for me to turn around and flee. Every step was heavier and harder to do than the previous one.

Just as I neared the creature, barely out of its tail's way, Jack leapt into the scene and dove to Preston's aid. I was close enough to hear him say, "come on, come on!" as he grabbed Preston by the armpits and try to drag him away. As Preston barely avoided the creature, crawling into a tight spot, Jack was left in the creature's way. The monster swung its head and Jack went flying, hitting a tree and slipping to the ground. As the creature turned my way, its tail directly in my line of scent, I dropped to the ground and on my stomach crawled to a bundle of fallen branches and roots.

I realized the creature was now specifically after Jack and again, I went against my own instincts and wiggled out of my hiding spot. I was behind the beast now, ducking and scarcely avoiding the tail. As I leapt to the right side of it, I saw Mr. Hayes climb up from behind a giant log (with Jack still beneath the beast's front legs) and fired his gun rapidly. Men leapt up beside him and did the same thing. The creature slowly swung its head away from it, since they were directly hitting its head, and fell with a massive thud that felt like it shook the whole forest.

I leapt back from the beast, racing around it to see the few men settled by the log and Jack panting up against a log. I immediately made sure my face wasn't showing completely and walked over to the log, stepping on it and then sliding over the other side. I made sure not to look at the creature's shot and bloody face. Suddenly, someone stepped out of the darkest and I almost yelped out of fright if I hadn't seen his blue eyes first.

"Are you okay?"

I would've been a bit sarcastic with him if I hadn't just realized I was about to throw myself in front of death to save a man. I suppose I was still in a bit of shock and still a bit nervous and scared. I nodded slowly, biting my tongue to keep from asking a flood of questions. Why did he leave my side? Where was he? Was he shooting? I knew better than to ask the questions and so I didn't. Together, we walked from behind the log and followed the group.

I heard someone ask up in front, "Weren't these things supposed to be extinct?"

I took a few fast paced steps, leaving Jimmy's side reluctantly, and noticed Lumpy already smoking. He's the one who answered the question as he glanced at the dead beast.

"They are now."

As we gathered and re-organized ourselves- seeing who was gone or dead, seeing what we had left of our supplies and so on- I saw Preston and Carl near the beast's still slightly moving tail… filming. I felt my face twist in disgust but quickly turned away and masked it to a blank expression. Jack and Baxter walked a few feet in front of me.

"What hell kind of place is this?" Baxter asked.

I merely shook my head and after shifting my canvas bag's straps on my shoulders (I felt blessed on how I was able to keep a hold of it during the chaos), followed behind the men who were already moving ahead.


End file.
